Unwanted Backtracking
by Mirai M. Mieux
Summary: Ghost was recruited into the 141 four years ago. They've been assigned a mission to track down a drug ring in Mexico that reappeared from out of nowhere. Unforgiving circumstances result in Ghost and Roach left behind with a man Ghost swore was dead. It brings back skeletons Ghost had hoped he had buried long ago-and this time, he dragged Roach with him into his own personal Hell.
1. Friendly Wagers

**This is a story that's floated around my head since I was in Okinawa about a month ago now. It's probably the most at fault for making _After Endgame_ so slow in updates...  
>I apologize for those reading that story, I'm starting to work the wrinkles in that story, but I should have the next chapter to my beta in a few days.<strong>

**Also, I would like to point out that this story, if you didn't really read the comic _Modern Warfare 2: Ghost _you won't be completely lost, however you will miss a few details in later chapters...**

**Thanks to my Beta panpanpeppermint for, well, Beta-ing this story~**

**Onward~!**

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><p>A cool breeze whipped through the 141 base, a fine mist lifting as the sun rose. The base was settled in a small clearing surrounded by towering evergreens in an undisclosed mountain range, safe from hikers and the prying eyes of satellites.<p>

Despite the early hour of 0530, most of the men were in various points of their morning workout, newer recruits watching the veterans as they cleaned equipment or they themselves jogged past, learning new exercises they could incorporate into their own routine.

Two men were separated, standing opposite each other, each in a fighting stance. One wore a skull balaclava and red tinted sunglasses to hide his features, the other's dark hair haphazardly brushed and slightly covering his green eyes.

"Ready?"

"Please Ghost; I could kick your ass."

"Is that a challenge I hear Roach?"

"Well if you took off your damn Kevlar vest it would be an even match."

"Is that what you think?"

"I'll wait."

Ghost's smirk was hidden by his balaclava as he dropped his stance. He removed his Kevlar, placing it neatly on a table before returning to his position opposite Roach, who wore a pair of goggles around his neck instead of their usual perch on his eyes.

"Ready?" Ghost asked once more, retaking his stance.

"Go."

Both men flew at each other, Roach swinging with his left aiming at Ghost's torso. Ghost blocked it, his right fist flying towards Roach's face. Roach ducked, twisting his fist free and jumping back. Ghost frowned, dropping his stance. Roach jumped forward, right fist leading. Ghost froze before sidestepping, catching Roach by the arm and flipping him over his shoulder. Roach grunted as his back hit the ground, gasping and rolling to the left quickly to avoid a punch to the face. Roach scrambled up as Ghost shook his wrist, taking a few steps forward before swinging up his right leg up, aiming for the face. Roach ducked, sweeping his leg out and hitting the back of Ghost's knee, making him lose his balance and fall back. As Roach started to kick his side, Ghost rolled backwards, getting back on his feet and delivering a swift kick to the center of Roach's chest, toppling him.

"Give up?"

"Ok, put the damn Kevlar back on. You're better without it on." Roach huffed, lifting his head to look at the Lieutenant.

"You said you could take me without it. Well?" Ghost teased, a smirk playing into his voice.

"I lied. Shut up Ghost." Roach dropped his head, sighing in defeat.

"You're getting better, jus-" Roach swung his legs out, knocking Ghost back down again. He landed flat on his back, knocking the wind out of him as Roach stood up and smirked.

"I'm getting better? Thanks Ghost." Roach reached down, offering to help Ghost up. Ghost coughed as he grabbed Roach's hand, moving to get up. A sudden yank had Roach flat on his stomach on the ground and his arm twisted up in the air by Ghost.

"But you could still use the practice." Ghost finished, releasing his hold.

"How did I end up on the ground…?" Roach asked, confused. He looked up and saw a ring of people surrounding him and Ghost, passing money between each other. "…pricks."

"Hey, Ghost, Roach. We have a mission-MacTavish wants us in the briefing room in five minutes." Archer interrupted the circle with Toad, passing a bill to Chemo.

"Who betted on me?" Roach asked as he stood up.

"Actually, a few more than last time." Chemo replied.

"See Roach? They have the same fantasy as you." Ghost said as he started to head in.

"What fantasy?" Roach asked.

"That you could beat me."

"Wh-GHOST!"

* * *

><p>"New mission? We haven't had one in a while sir." Ghost said as he sat down next to MacTavish in a darkened room. The others followed, sitting in the other chairs surrounding a projector.<p>

"Shepherd's been sending a few missions towards the Rangers so we could get a few days of rest. Today's mission is all about stealth." MacTavish started.

"What's the target?" Archer asked, leaning forward as the projector turned on. A map of Central America and Mexico focused in, a red X over a city bordering Mexico.

"Shepherd's networks think they discovered that Makarov has been getting weapons, money and a few other things from a drug cartel." MacTavish explained. Ghost fidgeted nervously in his seat, a motion caught by Roach and MacTavish.

"Are we going in for intel?" Flicks asked. He was a Canadian, with a small build fit for stealth and speed.

"And if we can manage to sabotage the drug cartel in any way, we do it." MacTavish nodded. "We leave in three hours. Prep for any scenario-we don't know what it's like. Dismissed."

"Sir!" The men chorused, standing up and exiting, stratigising talks going between them. Ghost didn't move, staring at the map.

"Yeah _right _Jayhawk! You hear this loser Gho-Ghost?" Roach asked, looking back as he reached the doorway. Ghost nodded once slowly, standing up.

"…Roach I want to talk to Ghost privately. Go ahead." MacTavish sighed. Roach nodded, closing the door behind him. MacTavish placed a hand on Ghost's shoulder, looking at him in the eye.

"It wasn't my choice to put you on this mission."

"I know…"

"If you want, we could say you have a sprained wri-"

"No." Ghost shook his head. "I'm not going to back out of a mission just because of that. The guys know I've been out on a mission with a broken right hand before. A sprained wrist is a stupid way of saying-"

"It's not stupid." MacTavish interrupted. "If you want to go, that's fine. But I'll be watching your back, alright?" Ghost nodded once before leaving, his posture withdrawn. MacTavish sighed, running a hand through his Mohawk.

"Aye…this isn't going to be easy…"

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><p><strong>So this story is a little rough around the edges...I can totally see it when I looked through it...however, the material in the story (I wrote up to 30...something higher than 30...) is a little different than what I've ever done...which will be bad-or good, if you talk about expanding my horizons as a writer...who knows, I might be good at this...*shrug*<strong>

**Hope you guys liked it, and if you could give me any form of feedback (obviously outright flames will be used to...actually, I don't want to tell you because then you'd steal it from me...) to help me write this story better, it would be greatly appreciated...give me some ideas too if you'd like. I probably won't be able to fit all of them in, but I can certainly try.**


	2. And It Begins

**So, here's where all the action starts...haha riiight...  
>Do tell me if something feels a little off, and I really hope you're actually enjoying this story~<strong>

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><p>On a helipad, two men in grey jumpsuits waved an all clear to two Little Birds. Inside each were two pilots and four men, each man loaded with heavy gear and an assault rifle. MacTavish, Ghost, Roach and Blackbird sat in one, Archer in charge of the other housing Toad, Flicks and Jayhawk. Their radios were turned on, despite disapproval from the pilots, the airways filled with small talk-the exception being MacTavish and Ghost, the former simply listening, the latter staring blankly at the wall with his radio dangling around his neck. Roach was well aware of Ghost's hesitancy-he won't admit to eavesdropping-and kept casting worried glances at Ghost's direction. After a while, however, it grew to be too much for him. He turned off his radio, leaning over to Ghost.<p>

"You OK Ghost?" he asked, watching as the Lieutenant fingered the trigger of his ACR tensely. Ghost nodded once, staring outside at the passing scenery. Roach looked to MacTavish, who shook his head.

'Later.' He mouthed, turning to the pilot. "How much longer 'til we reach the LZ?"

"Five minutes sir." The Pilot replied. Ghost tensed even more if it were possible, his grip on the ACR tightening. Roach placed a hand on his shoulder, making Ghost jump in surprise.

"Ghost, you're never this jumpy or tense. What's up?" Roach asked.

"Nothing." Ghost's voice was deeper, more dark and sinister. Roach removed his hand, picking up his ACR and fastening the silencer on.

The two Little Birds landed in a clearing, Ghost and Jayhawk the first ones off to scan the area.

"Clear." Ghost reported, Jayhawk copying him as they stood up. The others exited, MacTavish waving the helos off.

"We'll be back for when you radio in." the first pilot spoke through the radio.

"Got it." MacTavish nodded.

"Good luck Bravo team." With that, the two helos lifted into the air and disappeared over treetops.

"Alright, men. We're six klicks away from the target. Keep a low profile and watch for patrols. Twenty yard spread until we're a klick away, converge half a klick. Keep the radios silent unless you spot something." MacTavish ordered. "Good luck."

Ghost moved quickly, heading into the brush first. Roach stayed to the left, watching Ghost blend in and disappear. MacTavish was behind them, his eyes watching for both patrols and Ghost. The others headed in their directions, Toad and Archer disappearing far away from the others in opposite directions through the trees with their M21 EBRs strapped to their back.

Roach crouched low, his eyes scanning ahead as he moved forward. Every move of a leaf, any twig breaking made his senses go on high alert. He was never this tense, but with how Ghost had been acting lately, there was something he and the captain weren't telling him.

"Ghost here. Waiting for you half a klick from the target." Ghost's voice spoke through the radio.

"We're converging on you now Ghost. Keep tight." MacTavish ordered. Roach moved more quickly, spotting Ghost and Jayhawk crouched behind a boulder. Blackbird and Flicks appeared a few seconds later, each looking ahead to the compound sitting desolately nearby.

"That's the target? Shit, there's a no good hiding spots…and there's a crapload of patrols…" Blackbird frowned, leaning against a tree.

"Archer here. Toad and I are setting up a sniping nest on both sides of the compound. We'll keep you covered." Archer replied.

"Fine, take note of any patrols and entrances we can use." MacTavish replied as he came through a bush, reuniting with the others.

"Take the scenic route captain?" Roach joked. MacTavish punched him in the arm. Hard.

"Wait until I use that on you, ya bug." He grumbled, kneeling next to Ghost as Roach winced in pain. "Anything?"

"There's a large garage with a back door connected to the main building that's three stories. Looks like all activity is situated on the bottom and second floors, basement access. Looks like the top floor-" Ghost paused, pointing at a grand window with a balcony ."-that room, most likely, is the head's room. We'll stay away from there. The intel should be in a room most likely on the first floor. Weapons and other things should be in the small shed-look carefully, there's a hidden trap door with more. Stay away from the basement-…there's usually…prisoners…down there. Not the best thing to see." Ghost finished, a mini map drawn into the dirt in front of him.

"Impressive." Blackbird nodded. "How'd you know that?"

"…I-"

"That is the best way to head in." Toad said. "I can't see any other entrances that aren't as guarded as that one."

"Right, we'll go in two teams. Ghost, Roach and Blackbird go and find the intel we need to peg them to Makarov. Jayhawk, Flicks and I will head in and destroy the weapons with C4." MacTavish planned. "We'll keep radios on at all times. Let's go." MacTavish started to walk down, but Ghost's hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder.

"'Tavish, I-"

"Ghost, you'll be fine. Trust me." MacTavish said firmly. The others watched the exchange as Ghost's posture slouched in something few men ever saw-fear

"I ca-"

"Ghost, I got your back. I won't let anything happen." Roach spoke up, determination in his voice. Ghost turned to Roach, shaking his head.

"No, I can't. T-"

"Blackbird, switch teams. Head down there now and prep the C4." MacTavish ordered.

Ghost felt himself shaking as haunting memories resurfaced-he really should have stayed behind. Roach looked at MacTavish with a panicked look before turning back to Ghost.

"Ghost…look, if some-"

"Ghost. I'm not Vernon, Roach isn't Sparks. He's dead, isn't he? There's nothing to panic over." MacTavish said quietly.

"I-I know that…" Ghost's voice shook. "I-I-"

"Ghost, we'll be fine. The sooner we go in, the sooner we can get out of here and you can forget this ever happened." MacTavish offered. Ghost took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before he nodded.

"Alright…let's do this." Roach smiled before following the two older men down the hill. He knew he didn't have anything to worry about-MacTavish knew Ghost the most out of everybody, meaning he knew exactly how to keep his Lieutenant calm.

They reached the back door Ghost spoke of, his gloved hand squeezing the handle tightly and turning it, opening the door quietly and looking inside. He waved the other two in, Roach following MacTavish and ducking under a stack of crates. MacTavish peered over, noting that there weren't any vehicles there, spotting a door. He motioned to Roach, who had a far off look in his eyes under his goggles.

"Hey, Roach? I'd appreciate it if you didn't space out like that." MacTavish hissed.

"…sorry, sir." Roach muttered. MacTavish pointed at the door, and Roach nodded. He crouched as he approached it, listening with an ear to the door. A few voices disappeared down the hall, and Roach took a gloved hand to the doorknob, twisting slowly. He opened it a crack, making sure no one was there before he poked his head through. On the left was the end of a hallway, on the right was a hallway leading to three others. He went in, motioning for the others to come. Ghost moved impossibly silent, approaching the opposite wall and moving along it like a shadow. Roach noticed his moves seemed too…perfect, too rehearsed. MacTavish snapped him out of his thoughts again, pulling him through the door and closing it silently. Roach received a stern look, nodding once before following right behind Ghost. They reached the first hallway, thankfully empty and dark. Ghost moved first, heading to the next corner quickly as MacTavish moved across the hall. As Roach made to move, a door opened next to him. He quickly backpedaled, tensing as his hand moved to his knife. Luckily the man came out, leaving in the opposite direction. Roach grumbled, looking back down the hall before joining MacTavish. Ghost had already gone to the last hall, crouched on the other side of the entrance to the brightly lit hallway, faint voices drifting to them. As MacTavish and Roach stood on the opposite corner, Ghost held up four fingers-four tangos.

"…target's most likely down there, isn't it?" MacTavish muttered quietly.

"Sir, I'm one hundred percent positive it's down there." Ghost replied silently. MacTavish sighed, shaking his head as he pulled out his radio.

"Blackbird, you guys have the charges set?" MacTavish asked.

"Yes sir, and we're heading back to the rendezvous point now." Blackbird replied.

"Blow them now, we're going to need a distraction."

"Yes sir. Going loud in five…four…three…two…"

A loud explosion erupted outside, the voices in the hallways stopping.

"_IR IR IR!_" one man yelled angrily in Spanish. The voices started again, more urgently, as they ran the opposite direction-towards the main door leading into the yard.

"Archer, Toad, keep the others covered. We're going to get the intel now." MacTavish said as the three ran down the now empty hallway, checking in each room for the computer.

"On it sir."

"Sir, three tangos are heading back into the building you entered." Toad said quickly.

"Copy that. Ghost, I found the computer. I need you to load everything onto this flash drive." MacTavish tossed a small black rectangle to Ghost, who caught it as he entered to room MacTavish called from.

"I got you guys covered." Roach piped up, hiding in a room further down the hall. He waited until he heard the three tangos pass him before he gripped his knife, approaching the one lagging behind. With a swift motion he cupped his hand over the man's mouth, the knife digging deep into his back. The man gave a muffled scream before going limp. Roach dropped the body as he lifted his ACR. The other two were startled by the heavy thud, turning around to see Roach's face smiling in greeting.

"Hi there." He shot off two bursts, killing them before they could raise their guns.

"Ten seconds until the load is finished." Ghost said quickly. MacTavish smiled, noting how Ghost's demeanor changed back to normal.

"Archer, is our exit cleared?"

"Negative! Head out the front-we have the yard suppressed." Archer replied, the sniper rifle firing loudly though the mic.

"Got it." Ghost pulled the flash drive out, handing it back to the captain. "Let's get outta here."

"I'm with you on that." Roach said as they reunited. They ran through the empty halls, reaching the front exit.

"Blackbird, we're coming out." Ghost said.

"Alright, go ahead." Blackbird's reply was short as the gunfire echoed in the radio from outside. Roach went out first, immediately firing at a target that stuck his head out.

"Go!"

Ghost and MacTavish ran out, Ghost tapping Roach's shoulder, signaling them to run. They spotted the others firing from the garage, Flicks firing at the enemies trying to come in from the back. Roach joined him, firing a quick spray and taking out three men that just came in, adding to the pile of bodies lying in the doorway.

"Little Bird this is Bravo six! We're ready for our evac." MacTavish spoke into the radio as Ghost fired next to him, ducking as bullets retaliated. Few barely missed their mark as they whizzed past his ear, keeping low as Ghost stood up and fired at the targets still exposed.

"On it Bravo Six. Ten minutes until we get to exfil point A." The pilot replied.

"We got ten minutes to head back to the LZ! Let's clear this place out and go!" MacTavish yelled. The firefight was lessening as the 141 men took out the targets, the ten minutes slipping by quickly. The enemy casualties increased with each minute, Flicks and Roach's growing pile of bodies stopping most people from even getting through the door at this point.

"Bravo Six, two minutes from exfil point A. If you didn't haul ass here yet, I suggest you do now." The pilot spoke quickly.

"On it Little Bird." MacTavish replied. "Jayhawk, Blackbird, Flicks, you guys head out. Ghost and I will cover you. Roach, watch our backs.

"Got it." Roach replied, firing a quick burst before reloading swiftly. The other three moved their guns to their backs as they prepared to run.

"Go!" Ghost yelled, firing at anything he saw moving. The three ran out, heading into the tree line.

"Flicks is hit!" Jayhawk yelled. Ghost looked back to see Flicks falling, clutching his chest as he hit the ground. He didn't get back up, a pool of blood seeping out around him.

"Shit!" Roach dove behind crates as a grenade rolled into the doorway and exploded.

"Roach!" MacTavish whipped around to see Roach coughing.

"I'm good!" he called back.

"BLACKBIRD!" Toad screamed through the radio. Both captain and lieutenant spun to see Blackbird crumple to the ground, a bullet exiting his neck with a spray of blood.

"BOLLOCKS! JAYHAWK GET TO COVER NOW!" Ghost yelled, firing and killing three men before reloading. "Last clip!"

"Clear here!" Roach yelled, joining Ghost and firing quickly, taking a few targets down quickly before ducking down next to Ghost.

"Tavish, Roach, go. I'll cover you." Ghost said as he took a magazine from Roach's vest, who only gave a nod as the magazine was loaded into Ghost's gun.

"You sure?" Roach asked. Ghost nodded, priming a stun grenade.

"I made it. I'll cover you guys as you head this way." Jayhawk said, his gunfire joining in.

"Stun out!" Ghost yelled, throwing it hard. As it exploded, he heard a few grunts of pain and a few enemies came out of cover, dazed. He and Jayhawk shot them as MacTavish and Roach ran out, reaching the tree line and ducking behind the trees.

"Ghost let's go!" Roach yelled.

"You're clear, no one else is out there." Archer reported as one last shot fired out.

"Heading out." Ghost jogged out, slinging his ACR on his back.

"SHIT! THREE MORE TANGOS JUST CAME FROM THEMAINBUILDING!" Toad screamed. Ghost turned around to spot two armed men with Ak-47's, the other standing behind them with a furious look on his face as they came out of the building he just came from.

"Bollocks!" Ghost yelled, sprinting quickly as he heard gunfire erupt behind him. Ahead of him he spotted Roach and Jayhawk firing at the new enemies, some of the gunfire lessening behind him. One shot from a pistol made pain flare from Ghost's left knee, making him cry out in pain and stumble. He fell, clutching his knee as he hissed.

"GHOST!" Roach yelled in panic. "CAPTAIN, GHOST IS HIT!"

"Ghost? Are you alright?" MacTavish's voice spoke through the radio.

"Can't run-they got my knee." Ghost panted in pain, lifting one gloved hand to find blood already staining it.

"Don't move, they'll think you're dead. Toad, can you get the targets?" MacTavish asked.

"Negative! They're in my blind spot! Archer?"

"…bollocks. They just got into a blind spot. Sorry captain." Archer sighed.

"Fuck!" Roach cried out. MacTavish lifted his gun and crouched, taking aim. With a pull of the trigger, the two armed men fell down, bullet holes in their forehead. The other one ducked into a nearby building a few feet away from Ghost.

"Ghost, I'm coming to get you." Roach said, putting his ACR on his back.

"N-No. Roach, not yet." Ghost cautioned, groaning as he moved his knee. "Last-last one…"

"Captain, watch my back." Roach said as he came out, moving swiftly.

"N-no! Wait!" Ghost yelled. The last man came out, armed with a Desert Eagle. When he saw Roach, he lifted the gun and fired a single shot.

"ROACH!" MacTavish cried out as Roach fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. Ghost tried to get up in vain-his knee was bleeding through one hole, which meant the bullet was still lodged inside.

"F-fuck…" Ghost groaned out.

"Five more tangos coming out!" Archer said, panic making him speak faster.

"Ghost, Roach! Do you still have your pistols?" Jayhawk asked.

"N-no…" Ghost mentally slapped himself. He didn't know where it ended up, or when he lost it. Roach didn't respond, his heavy breathing filling the radio.

"Well, well, looks like we have two little operatives." The man with the Desert Eagle stood over Ghost. "Hm…British…SAS…" he muttered, looking at Ghost's arm patch. Ghost could hear MacTavish and Jayhawk trying to form a plan in his radio, panicking when they saw two men approaching Roach.

"He has no flag!" one of them yelled.

"What? Of course he does." The first man left Ghost, who was now surrounded by two others. They spoke in Spanish over him, laughing cruelly.

'Not again…please not again…'Tavish, hurry up and do something…' Ghost thought quickly, trying to subtly find his hidden knife. It was gone. 'Shite…'

"Ah, there. He is American." The first man found the flag patch on Roach, who was groaning in pain as his stomach bled. The kicks to the stomach weren't making it feel any better either.

"Toad, Archer, if you can take any shot, do it." MacTavish ordered quietly.

"We're moving to see if we can't get a better view." Archer replied.

"Copy that. Jayhawk, fire on the three around Roach. I got the two on Ghost."

"Got it." Ghost found himself smiling as he listened to MacTavish and Jayhawk. They weren't going to leave them there.

"Fire!" MacTavish yelled. A barrage of bullets let loose from the tree line, killing a few of the men. The one with the Desert Eagle fired back, ordering those still standing to get to cover.

"We got you in our sig-They're taking Roach!" Ghost's head shot up as he saw two men dragging Roach by the shoulders into a nearby building.

"ROACH!" Ghost yelled out. Despite the pain in his knee, he got up and charged, tackling one of the men who had Roach down.

"Ghost! Wait!" Jayhawk yelled.

"Shit, I don't have a clear shot!" Toad swore colorfully. "Ghost, stand down!"

Ghost didn't hear him, punching the other man swiftly in the face and kicking him in the stomach, sending him to the ground. Ghost pinned him down before punching one last time. The one he had tackled stood up, a taser gun in his hand. He shot it, the nodes latching into Ghost's arm. Despite the electrical current Ghost swung a left hook, knocking the man down.

"He's some kind of demon!" the man cried out before taking the taser from the man on the ground and firing again. This time it stuck in Ghost's leg, yet he didn't feel it as he punched the man again, knocking him out.

"GHOST! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" MacTavish yelled, coming from the tree line.

"I'm fi-" A white hot pain flashed across the base of his neck, blinding him momentarily. A second hit in the same spot had Ghost collapsing in a heap to the ground. As his head hit the dirt and darkness took his vision, MacTavish's yells were the last thing he heard.

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><p><strong>Yeah...so how was that?<br>Would be nice if the people who read this reviewed...  
>I'm not a review whore-I'm a point whore on Nazi Zombies (Seriously, ask my friends. I'll only get the wonder weapons when I don't have assault rifles or Machine Guns...)<strong>

**But It would be nice to see what you guys think~**

**Hope you enjoyed~**


	3. Him, You

**I have to say, I am so impressed by the reviews! It makes me really happy to see that you guys want to keep reading ^w^  
>I thank you every one who replied and I think you'll be happy with this chapter!<strong>

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><p>"Wakey, wakey."<p>

Ghost gasped as cold water was poured onto him head, the nylon in his mask absorbing the water and making it hard to breathe. He felt himself strapped to a metal table, well secured to prevent any movement.

"Wake the other one too…" a man commanded.

"Yes sir."

Ghost could hear Roach gasp and sputter, his vision not returning to him yet as he kept his eyes shut.

"You know, your team managed to sneak in here, destroy my weapons, and take all of our information in an hour."

"Yippie…" Roach groaned, coughing something, most likely water, out of his lungs.

"You also managed to lose two men…and get yourselves captured."

"You want a medal?" Ghost muttered.

"I am just telling you what happened. I am sure you remember…"

"Is there a point to this?" Ghost asked, opening his eyes and looking his captor in the face. He was tanned, with dark brown eyes and hair in a familiar hairstyle. He had a rough goatee shadowing his face. "If you want information, you're not getting it."

"Are you assuming that is all what I want? Tsk, tsk. Not at all 'Ghost'." Ghost glared at the man.

"So what is it then?" Roach asked. Ghost looked over and spotted Roach in a similar fashion, gauze over his stomach and stripped to his boxers and plain shirt. Ghost realized his Kevlar and gear were missing as well, the only things on besides bare necessities were his sunglasses and mask.

"Well, you took my revenue. I think a little payback is in order, do you not?"

"Not really, no." Ghost coughed, taking deep breaths through the soaked mask, a taxing feat.

"What, are you nervous?" the man laughed loudly. Ghost scowled under the mask.

"That's all you want, a little payback?" Roach scoffed.

"Exactly, 'Roach.' My father taught me that payback is always a good thing." Talking to him as of he were slow.

"You mean revenge." Ghost muttered.

"Payback, revenge. It depends on the severity. Well, I guess in this case it could be revenge…" the man lifted a Desert Eagle and spun it in his hands leisurely. After a second thought he pointed it at Ghost's head, a dark look in his eyes. Finger on the trigger as he cocked back the hammer.

"What is your name?"

"I thought you didn't want information."

"It is for your tombstone."

"Didn't think I'd get one. You must be so generous to get the people you killed a grave." Ghost mocked.

"You are not afraid of death I see." The man laughed once, lowering the gun.

"You can't kill a ghost." Ghost's smile matched the one on his mask. Wicked and dark.

"Gho-" Roach started, worry in his voice.

"What about this one?" the man raised the gun and pointed it at Roach.

"I don't give a shit." Roach said defiantly with a glare.

"You touch him, I swear to God-" Ghost started to threaten jerking against his bonds.

"So you care for him…not that I did not see that from the yard." The man paced between the two, a strange gleam in his eye. "It will be interesting to see what we can do with you two."

"Do whatever you want to me, but you leave Roach out of this." Ghost said as he tried to move his arms. The man stared at him, the wheels spinning in his head. Roach seemed to stare at Ghost.

"I thought you were Atheist?"

"I am getting sick of looking at this mask. It makes you feel like you can do anything, does it not…? I wonder what is under it…" the man grabbed the top of the mask, Ghost's eyes opening wide.

"Wh-No-"

The glasses and mask fell to the floor as Ghost shut his eyes tightly, turning his head away before Roach could see the multiple scars on his face. One long, thin scar came down from his cheek to his neck, curving all the way down the right side. His ginger hair fell messily out, his skin a pale white. The man stared at him, recognition dawning on his face.

"I know you…YOU!" The man grabbed Ghost's throat, starting to choke him. Ghost struggled to move away, the bonds he was under keeping him from doing so.

"GHOST!" Roach tried to move as well as Ghost's face went from a bright red to blue. Ghost could feel his consciousness slipping away, waiting for the peaceful blackness, as his flesh burned with the lack of oxygen and blood flow. A few more seconds and he felt the grip being released, allowing for oxygen to flow through his lungs again. He entered a coughing fit as his breathing steadied.

"Ghost! Ghost, are you alright?" Roach said panicked, his eyes wide, his voice slightly cracking with the fear of it all; reminding Ghost he wasn't all that old.

"I had never thought I would see you again…it has been a few years…" the man circled Ghost like a vulture, the Desert Eagle spinning in his hand again, a sneer on his lip.

"W-what are yo-you ta-" Ghost couldn't talk properly, his throat kept wanting to close in on itself, but the man got his meaning.

"It has been four years…four and a half since we first met." The man stopped, placing the muzzle of the Desert Eagle against Ghost's right knee and firing. Ghost cried out in pain as blood flowed out, Roach struggling against his bonds desperately.

"The scar tipped me off. I made that scar on one man." The man moved the gun to Ghost's thigh and fired another shot.

"GHOST! Stop it!" Roach screamed, thrashing against the bonds. He only succeeded in making his wrists raw to the point they were bleeding and bruised.

"The man my father worked so hard to break." The man fired another shot in the other thigh. Ghost cried out in pain once more, blood starting to drip onto the floor. His mind swarmed with endorphins as his body tried to cope against the pain, leaving him dizzy.

"That man lived through all of that. Subjected to the worst torture we could think of." Another shot fired, aimed at Ghost's left shoulder. Ghost didn't cry out, instead a loud groan escaped his lips as his head turned and faced Roach, seeing Ghost's eyes screwed tightly shut in pain for the first time. Roach was panicking still, terror ran in his voice as he still screamed for it all to stop, tears threatened to spill.

"That man escaped, and then thought he could live a normal life. My father fixed that." Another shot, the right shoulder. Roach saw the pain flash across Ghost's face, his lips beginning to move in silent pleas.

"Killed his 'normal' family…father was a genius using Sparks and Washington…And then the man cracked into a million pieces." The left forearm.

"Yet…instead of letting my father win with his death, he decided to get revenge…by killing him." The right forearm.

"My father was the first Roba…a great man. But he was killed by one man. That man…was Simon Riley." _Click._

Roach sighed in relief as the gun clicked empty-it was aimed at Ghost's heart. His own heart was still gripped in icy terror at what could have been.

Ghost's eyes were clenched shut in pain, his mouth moving in silent pleas that Roach couldn't decipher. Roach's heart wrenched at the sight of the man he thought couldn't ever be broken, weeping and pleading for someone to stop.

"Huh…that was seven shots already?" the man laughed darkly, throwing the gun away. He grabbed Ghost's face, turning it sharply to face him. Ghost kept his eyes shut, his breathing heavy. "You are going to suffer greatly. I will not spare you like my father did." He released his hold, motioning to someone.

"Take them away."

Roach watched as two men released Ghost, lifting him onto their shoulders and dragging him. He didn't pay attention as his bonds were released and he was forced to walk after them, entering a dark room. The two holding Ghost dropped him, eliciting a cry of pain as his new wounds were jolted. Roach immediately moved to turn him over, careful not to cause any more pain. As he moved him, Roach could hear Ghost muttering the same thing over and over.

"-"

"Ghost? Ghost, are you alright?" Roach asked worriedly. The door opened and a box was dropped in, a red cross on a white square adorning it-a first aid kit. Roach grabbed it quickly, shuffling through the contents and finding the painkillers. He injected them quickly, pulling out a roll of bandages as he tossed the spent needles. A blue package caught his attention, and he picked it up, the label reading "Cold compress". He read the instructions, activating it and placing it on Ghost's forehead.

"Come on Ghost…snap outta it." Roach muttered. his hands shaking as he applied gauze and bandages to the spots that bled the most, mainly his shoulders.

"Uhn…Roach?" Ghost opened his eyes blue eyes wearily, groaning as he tried to move his arms.

"Don't move. Your arms and shoulder have been shot…you alright?" Roach asked, grabbing the bandages and wrapping them around Ghost's shoulders.

"Hurts…"

"Where?" Roach was ready to spring into whatever action Ghost needed him to.

"Everywhere." Ghost groaned. Roach let out a nevous laugh.

"If you weren't hurt I'd think you were a real ghost. You were tased two times, you know that?"

"…two? I don't remember any…" Ghost shook his head.

"It was like you didn't even get tased. It was when you tried to save me." Roach moved to the shoulder.

"…they tased me then?" Ghost asked, his confusion evident.

"Yea. They finally knocked you down with two hits to the base of the neck. Wasn't pretty." Roach moved to the other side, wincing at the gunshot wounds.

"…what happened to the captain?"

Roach sighed. "…Shepherd ordered them to retreat."

"He what?" Ghost disbelievingly asked

"MacTavish tried to tell him…but Shepherd didn't care." Roach shook his head. "MacTavish said…he'd try to come back and get us."

"…how do you know?" Ghost asked, his voice cracking.

"I still had my radio…until they knocked me out." Roach replied, rubbing his head where a small bump had formed and started to blacken. He finished the roll of bandages and sighed. He still had to bandage the wounds on Ghost's knees and he had used everything in the first aid kit.

"…Roach?" Ghost said hoarsely.

"Yeah Ghost?"

"…no matter what happens, don't say anything. Names, ranks, where we're from, our bases-"

"I know Ghost."

"Good…"

"…Ghost?"

"…yea?"

"…who was that guy?" Ghost froze, making Roach shift uncomfortably. "If you don't want to answer, that's fi-"

"Roba." Ghost said shortly.

"Roba?" Roach prompted.

"Well, Roba's son."

"Who's Roba?"

"He led the Zaragoza Drug cartel in Mexico almost five years ago. While I was in the SAS my mission was to assist a squad of Americans to take it out…" Ghost took a deep breath as he shuddered.

"…things didn't go as planned, did it…" Roach muttered.

"That's an understatement." Ghost coughed. "If we're going to be here a while, you need to get rest."

"What about you?" Roach asked. Ghost shook his head.

"Too much pain."

"The pain meds aren't helping?" Roach asked worried again.

"Go to sleep Roach."

"B-"

"I'm still your senior officer. Go." Ghost frowned. Roach smirked, leaning against the wall.

"Fine."

"I thought so."

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><p><strong>I hope this is up to your standards of enjoyment!<strong>


	4. Remember the Name

**Sorry for the small wait-but it was worth it, right?  
>Haha I'm sorry, but here it is!<strong>

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><p>A quiet moan echoed through the room, Roach turned over in annoyance. <em>'Damn Meat needs to stop bringing girls into the barracks…'<em> Something started to click in his head when the moans turned into pained groans _'…that's not Meat…or a girl…'_

He concluded in his sleep-fogged mind that he was _not_ in the barracks, Meat and a girl were _not_ in the room with him, and the cries of pain were getting _much_ louder. Roach sat up in an instant as someone let out a scream, ignoring the burning sensation in his stomach as he looked through sleep-clouded vision to see a man standing over Ghost -it took him a few seconds to realize the ginger-haired man was Ghost without his balaclava on- a booted foot slowly pushed down on Ghost's left knee.

"GET OFF OF HIM!" he yelled his voice cracking with the sudden octaves as Ghost cried out again, in too much pain to fight back or move. Despite his now bleeding wound, Roach rushed forward and tackled the assailant to the ground. They rolled over each other, trying to achieve the advantageous perch on top of the other. He managed to use momentum until his knee was digging into the other's stomach, fists flying between the two. After a few blows to the other's face, Roach raised his left fist, only to feel someone grab it roughly and pull him back until he was in a tight head lock. He struggled against the man, whose iron grip held him still as the first man got up slowly. In the light coming from the door he could tell it was Roba's son, a bruise starting to form around his right eye and a sizeable cut on his cheek. Armed men stood in the doorway ready to jump in if needed. Roach had the grim satisfaction of doing such injury and as he chuckled at the man who dabbed at his cheek, the grip around his neck tightened in retaliation.

"Good morning." Roba's son said simply, brushing away unseen dust and straightening his grey suit, acting as if their little tussle never happened.

"Good morning my ass!" Roach growled, trying to break free. "What the hell ar-"

"Roach…" Ghost coughed out, his voice hinting at a warning. Roach fell silent, ceasing in his struggles.

"Well, since we are all awake, I think it is time to get going, agreed?" Roba's son walked out, motioning for two more men to head inside and grab Ghost. Roach was led out first, released from his chokehold and held by his arm, twisted painfully behind his back in a vice. His eyes watered at the brightness in the hallway and the blinding white paint the walls were coated with.

"You're one sick bastard, you know that" He pointed out to Roba's son as he blinked rapidly, his eyes adjusting slowly.

"I do not like nicknames. Please call me Gonzalo." The Hispanic replied in dismissal, something wicked hung in his voice.

"I still think you're a sick bastard." Roach spat out. Gonzalo stopped short, whipping around and delivering a forceful punch to Roach's stomach above his gunshot wound, winding him as he groaned in pain. He couldn't help it as he choked and leaned forwards against Gonzalo trying to regain his breath and manage the sharp pulse in his abdomen. The man had a predatory gleam in his brown eyes before straightening his suit once again.

"Take them to the trucks. I will be there shortly." Gonzalo ordered, turning down a different hallway. The men holding Ghost and Roach continued on, opening a large door and revealing the same hanger they had taken refuge in the day before. This time, however, there were two armored trucks waiting for them. The three men didn't hesitate as they approached the nearest truck and tossed Roach and Ghost inside without sympathy, slamming the doors shut as Ghost hissed in pain.

"Little fuckers…" he groaned out.

"You alright Ghost?" Roach asked, massaging his stomach as the truck shook to life.

"…figure out where they're taking us?" Ghost asked, slowly turning until he was on his back.

"No…they didn't tell us." Roach replied with a confused look on his face, hiding the worry when he saw blood stains growing bigger on Ghost's bandages. Roach could feel a warm wetness on his stomach, no doubt that hit to his stomach and his fight with Gonzalo had disturbed the wound. He pressed his hand against the weeping hole and ignored it.

"They didn't?"

"No…why do-"

"Passed out when we got into the hallway." Ghost sighed in frustration as he tried to sit up. "Too much pain."

"That's not a good idea G-"

"To hell with it. If he's taking us somewhere it means 'Tavish and the others won't know where we are…Our chances of being rescued is shot." Ghost muttered as the truck swayed into motion.

"That doesn't mean we can't try and break out ourselves." Roach argued. Ghost froze, his eyes kept shut as his breathing deepened.

"N-no. Not breaking out…"

"Ghost…?" Roach asked worriedly.

"B-bad idea…" Ghost muttered.

"Bad idea…?" He repeated as he stared at Ghost, confusion filling his mind as he watched Ghost. His breathing had deepened as if trying to calm himself, and a sheen of sweat had appeared on his forehead. If possible, it looked as if he had gotten paler as well. A few words were muttered under his breath before he sighed, looking up at Roach.

"R-roach…I'm sorry." Ghost said quietly.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Roach was now too confused to follow Ghost and his train of thought.

"If I hadn't gotten shot back there, y-" Roach held up a hand.

"You made sure 'Tavish and I got back safely…well, the Captain anyway. I was being stupid and freaking out over you. You were acting so weird since we got the mission, I just wanted you to get back with us." Roach explained. "Us getting caught is my fault, don't you dare say anything." Ghost looked up, shaking his head as he did so.

"No, it-"

"Ghost, dude if you say it's your fault…" Roach paused. "You don't want me to finish that threat."

"What, are you actually going to win in a fight against me?" Ghost laughed quietly. Roach smirked.

"I think we're on even grounds now, don't you?"

"No."

"What, want me to ge-"

"I could still beat you up."

"As if! You could barely move five minutes ago!"

"So? That was five minutes ago, mate."

"What, are you able to magically heal yourself?"

"Yep."

"Bull shit."

Roach leaned back, a smile on his lips as he stared at Ghost. He had gained back a little color through the conversation, a similar smile on his face despite the pain he felt with each movement.

"You think we'll stop soon?" Roach asked, glaring at the window separating the back and front as it shut. Ghost shrugged painfully, frowning as the truck stopped.

"I so called that." Roach said, reminding Ghost of his youth and cockiness. That would be a problem soon if the younger soldier didn't start listening to his warnings.

"There's no way…we haven't even gone that far yet." He muttered, succeeding in his endeavor to sit up and mimicking Roach by leaning back.

"Well, wh-" Ghost shushed him, listening intently.

"…they're gassing the truck."

"Not the normal way, I see…" Roach muttered as he heard a barely audible hissing sound, a slightly sweet smell blending with the oxygen in the truck.

"Hold your breath, don't talk, stay still." Ghost ordered, taking a deep breath himself.

"You su-" Roach flinched as Ghost gave him a stern look, taking a deep breath and holding it in. Ghost seemed more intimidating to him without the mask than with, the scars on his face adding to the effect. Roach was sure that wasn't possible-yet here was the proof sitting right in front of him.

They sat for about two minutes before the truck started moving again, Roach's lungs burned in protest for more oxygen and his head pounded in tune with his heart beat. He could tell Ghost was struggling more than him, his eyes closed and head hanging. Roach tapped the floor, signaling for Ghost to look up. He flashed the OK sign, which Ghost shook his head in reply. His face was turning blue, a pained look in his eyes as he tried to keep his breath in. Roach gave a small smile, Ghost returning it half heartedly before letting his head hang again, closing his eyes.

A few more seconds later –Roach counted less than ten- Ghost gasped, coughing loudly. Roach scrambled up to help him, but Ghost had fallen over in a matter of seconds, immobile and unconscious. Roach returned to his previous position, letting out his air slowly before letting the gas in, his vision darkening rapidly as he felt himself fall over and fade into the nothingness.

* * *

><p><strong>Haha this was more than a transition chapter-Gonzalo is a smart badass and knows they're bound to be rescued-well, not any more!<br>Yeah, I'm evil...I'll try to stop with the cliffhangers, but at the same time...they just make you guys hang on the edge of your seat and I'm an evil writer like that mwahaha-*cough* ...  
>I love the reviews you guys are giving me-I just wish they had a little more critique-<br>A CHALLENGE! Let's see if you guys can make the reviews mean while letting a little of the love shine through-IF you review  
>(haha that'll be fun to see what happens)<br>(Yes, the chapter takes the title from the song by Fort Minor-I love them and Linkin Park...)  
>XD Thank you WalkerintheRain for the beta-after I stared you down on Skype to finish! XD<strong>


	5. 10 mA

**Yes, another installment of this...story...*sigh* Yes...I really need to work on my other story...**

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><p>This was the second time in three days Roach had woken up without his expressed desire to go to sleep on his own. Both ways weren't very desirable-blunt trauma and chloroform were the top of the list of "Ways I, Gary Sanderson, Wish To Tot Be Unconscious Because Of." Granted, it wasn't a very well-named list, but blunt trauma and chloroform were there-actually, they pretty much<em> made up<em> the list. The other undesirable way would be passing out piss-drunk and waking up with some body area hurting.

Roach slowly opened his eyes, grudgingly accepting the fact that his eyesight would _never _be crystal clear as soon as he woke up. He blamed genetics-mostly his drug-addicted father. Roach's twin brother and older sister suffered the same detrimental eye sight first thing in the morning-and so far, no exact causes have been found.

In trying to rub his eyes clear of sleep, Roach discovered his hands were cuffed to metallic armrests, as were his ankles. His torso was tied to the chair's back, the legs bolted down to the floor to prevent movement. After trying to futilely pull himself free, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

_'Where's Ghost?'_

A glance up made him take a breath of relief-Ghost was in the same tied down fashion as he was, head hanging limply and allowing ginger hair to act as a curtain over his closed eyes. More relief seemed to flood Roach when he realized that both of them were free from any new injuries-all of that would be changing very, very soon.

The door opened just enough for someone to peer through before closing with a snap-most likely to check to see if either one were awake. A few minutes later that proved to be the case when Gonzalo stepped in, garbed in simple jeans and black polo. A holster wrapped around his left thigh was empty-his prized Desert Eagle twirling artistically in his hands as he started pacing between his two 'guests'.

"It is about time you woke up. I have been waiting for a day now." He seemed to scold. Roach let out a scoff.

"Would have been up MUCH earlier if you didn't knock us out with chloroform." He muttered angrily.

"It does not matter. I have an excellent two months planned for you two." Gonzalo said airily. Roach flinched at the aloofness the Mexican man in front of him held himself to, unsure if it was all a ploy-or if it was exactly how the man was on a day to day basis.

Both ideas didn't seem to sit right with the sergeant.

"Sounds like a blast." He muttered. "Care to tell me your dastardly ideas while we wait for Ghost to wake up, or are you not going to follow the normal comic book evil-doer?"

"This is your first time being captured." It wasn't a question.

"You say that like it's a bad thing! But n-well, if you count being held at gunpoint by terrorists in Iraq while your squad is no where to be found…" Roach trailed off. He was standing for ten minutes against a wall and blindfolded as they took potshots around him-lucky his extraordinarily high luck was on his side-before his squad rescued him.

"So you have not." Gonzalo summarized. Roach gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Does it matter? And are you going to tell me what you have planned or what? It'll make for a great conversation." He said sarcastically.

"Since there is nothing else to do but wait for Simon to wake up and join us, I might as well. I have a lot planned for the two of you-these next two months will be quite entertaining to me-and a living Hell for you and Simon. By the end of sixty days-rather, fifty eight days, Simon will be gone from this world. You? By the end of ninety days. Maybe less, if you are grief-stricken enough to take your own life." Gonzalo seemed to radiate glee as he finished, the thought of Ghost dead alone gave him a sick sense of happiness-Roach was an added bonus.

"You're kidding. What kind of sick bastard plans how they're going to kill someone?" Roach hissed out angrily. Gonzalo stopped his pacing and placed his Desert Eagle into the holster smoothly, turning to face Roach with a blank expression.

"It does not matter what you think. What does matter is by the time your precious team manages to locate you again-it'll be far past too late."

"How touching." Ghost spoke barely above a whisper, making Roach jump in surprise and positive his heart would never calm down after a shock like that. Gonzalo merely turned around.

"So you are awake Simon?" He seemed to reprimand Ghost the same as he did to Roach. "It took you long enough to join us. Shall I go over my plans again for you?"

"I heard plenty." Ghost said, the tone slightly masked.

"Really?" Gonzalo seemed happy that he didn't have to repeat himself as Roach watched the exchange between the two.

"One problem in your plan though, mate." Ghost remarked, Gonzalo frowning in reaction.

"And that would be…?"

"You can't kill a Ghost." Ghost lifted his head to show the dark and malevolent grin he wore, his eyes different from the Ghost Roach remembered, the phrase "If looks could kill" coming into his mind. With a blink, however, the wicked grin disappeared as if it was never there.

"You forget I was there with my father last time we met. He used to boast to us at dinner about how easily one little crack could spider web out until you crumbled at his mercy. I was the one that recommended to father to kill your family-however the ingenuity to use Sparks and Washington does not rest with me. Pure genius, watching you suffer when you thought you escaped." Gonzalo smiled sadistically.

"Very smart indeed…" Ghost muttered, before locking eyes with Gonzalo and giving the biggest shit-eating grin Roach had ever seen. "Tell me, did your father gloat to your mother? Or one of the other _whores_ he used to sleep with?" Roach knew immediately that it was a low blow-the lowest blow anyone could ever blow.

"I direct your attention to the small electrical nodes attached to the bottoms of your chairs-they are connected to a standard car battery. With a verbal command issued by any one of us in this room, it will send you both writhing with 10 milliamperes of electricity. It will not be a pleasant experience." Gonzalo explained stiffly. Roach's face grew ashen, noting Ghost's face go slightly pale as well. If both of them remembered that particular high school physics lesson correctly all those years ago-extreme pain was about to head their way. "Care for a demonstration?"

"No, not really in particular. Thanks for the offer tho-" Roach didn't have the time to finish the sentence before he entered the world of white hot pain, his bound body thrashing as the electricity worked it's way though. Before he could comprehend what had happened, the pain stopped suddenly, leaving him quite winded and exhausted.

"That was only one second-I assure you with each time the time will increase. How much, I cannot say." Gonzalo smirked.

"Roach…don-don't talk…" Ghost muttered, his body shaking with pain.

"Well, since you took the fun out of that…I might as well use the remote." Gonzalo sighed as he pulled a small, slender rectangle out of his pocket. Roach eyed it wearily before gazing at Ghost as he spoke.

"Huh, you _are_ a sick bastard…"

"And like I said before, I detest nick names." At that, both men were once again thrust into a world of unimaginable pain-their bodies' natural signals being overloaded with information, muscles contracting on their own to the point of nearly ripping. Roach couldn't help the strangled cry that escaped his throat before it stopped. Ghost's body seemed to twitch heavily as he tried to take deep breaths in an attempt to distract himself from the pain.

"Th-this sucks…" Roach muttered, feeling his body shuddering involuntarily as he tilted his head back. "Di-didn't you tell me t-to keep my mouth sh-shut?"

"Sh-shut up, twat." Ghost frowned. "Li-like you make it better…"

"I could! Watch-" Roach grinned stupidly as he made eye contact with Ghost. "So a Brit, American, and Mexican-whore baby are in a room. There's one bottle of water left and one piece of food left. Who gets what?" Ghost stared like Roach had sprouted an extra head and five arms.

"What are you prattling on about?" Roach's grin grew wider.

"Why, the American and Brit get everything! The Mexican-whore baby just goes and asks one of him moms to go get him some food from the kitchen!" Ghost smirked.

"Here's the challenge; the Mexican's got to ask his real mother for food."

"There ya go!" Roach laughed loudly, joined by Ghost a few seconds later. Both of their laughs soon turned into cries of pain as Gonzalo held his thumb over the button, stopping after ten seconds had passed. To Ghost and Roach, however, it felt much longer than ten seconds-as if it was the end of time before their bodies were relieved of any pain.

"It seems Simon is not with us any more." Gonzalo seemed to sigh. Roach, whose head was hanging limply as he tried to catch his breath, shot up to see Ghost sitting limply, unmoving, as if he were dead. Gonzalo placed two fingers over Ghost's pulse before pulling his head up by hair, opening one eye to reveal that they had rolled back. Roach winced at the sight as Gonzalo released his grip, turning to face Roach. "It was a pity-I had hoped you had gone out first so I could be…reacquainted…with Simon."

"Y-yea? T-too bad…" Roach spoke hoarsely, making eye contact. "W-well then, wh-what now?"

"…I suppose I could permit you to ask a few questions." Gonzalo replied. Roach gave another grin, quite positive with whatever he was about to say would bring more pain-Ghost would be calling him the biggest twat he'd ever known. And he'd be completely right.

"Why's the sky blue? Why d'we park in a driveway and drive on the parkway?" Roach rambled off matter-of-factly. "Why do we measure in feet when everyone had a different sized foot? Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word? I-"

"Enough." Gonzalo spoke darkly as he pressed the button once again. The white-hot pain flared immediately, Roach thrashing against his bonds as muscles moved involuntarily and a choked scream escaped him. When it stopped a few seconds later, Roach hung his head limply, too exhausted to speak. His breaths turned deep as he tried to calm himself down, his body twitching angrily. Through his hair he spotted Ghost's still form, at times giving a small shudder before falling still. The only way Roach knew he was alive was the steady rising and falling of his chest.

His view was interrupted as Gonzalo stood in front of him, closing his eyes as his head was jerked up painfully by the hair.

"Llevarlos de vuelta a sus celdas. Avisarme cuando se despiertan." Gonzalo ordered as four men came inside. Roach felt his bonds disappear and two pairs of hands grab him by the shoulders and dragged him out, hearing the other two men dragging Ghost with them carelessly. Roach didn't pay attention to where they were going, his eyes opening slightly to see Ghost's form behind him. He closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion take over and falling asleep.

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><p><strong>...so, it begins...ish...well, it DID, but you know...<br>...I'm just going to shut up now...  
>And I know a few of you wanted Ghost's POV-it'll come, it's just...quite hard to keep it in his perspective...<br>But I love me a challenge...XD**

**BTW, apparently some people didn't get an email saying I updated...? Something to that or am I just going insane-or are those people insane?  
>...both ways don't seem like a downer to me, just saying...<strong>


	6. He will be your mirror

**I am sorry for the long wait-This chapter had major "I don't want to be written!" Issues...it went through I believe five drafts if I remember correctly before good ol' Walker In the Rain was like "Why don't you do this?" And yeah, I went with it... . I'm already working on the next chapter I promise!**

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><p>Ghost immediately wanted to return to the quiet blackness he had just finished inhabiting, seeing as his body was screaming in pain. This prompted him to try and remember why he was actually in so much pain this time around-last time it wasn't this painful.<p>

The gunshot wounds when he first 'arrived' weren't the cause of such pain everywhere-where they were still hurt a lot, given, but the pain wasn't radiating from them. His memory moved to the next morning, when he was helpless to defend himself and Roach came to his rescue. That made Ghost feel guilty, relying on the younger sergeant for help like that. He made mental note to not put himself and Roach in that position again.

They were moved to the trucks, but the only thing that happened there was being introduced to chloroform. Ghost then remembered waking to hearing Roach and what's-his-face (Ghost had yet to learn Roba's son's name) talking about a time limit of two months before he was killed, talking to Roach, then intense pain.

Electrocution. That was it.

"Ghost? You awake?" Roach's voice spoke softly. Ghost turned his head to the left to spot the man's form leaning against the wall nearest him, eyes closed in the dark room.

"Y-yeah…" Ghost coughed out, his throat sore. He cleared his throat before speaking softly. "Bloody hell, everything hurts…" He tried to move his arm, only to find it not worth it and ceased, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"You've been out for two days…" Roach muttered, frowning when he opened his eyes.

"Been through worse, bug." Ghost admitted, his eyes scanning Roach's body for any new injuries. He was thankful when he found none. Roach smirked when they made eye contact, knowing why Ghost seemed to relax.

"…no homo Ghost, but you look hot." Roach said suddenly. Ghost blinked once, Roach laughing in response. "No, wait-I should say you're a fine looking gentleman."

"I don't know which one is worse." Ghost muttered, shaking his head as fast as his body would let him.

"In all seriousness, Gonzalo should be here any minute now." Roach frowned. "He's been in here every twelve hours since shocking us unconscious. Its how I knew you were out for two days." He explained.

"…who's Gonzalo?" Ghost asked, perplexed. Roach stared at him for a brief moment.

"Right, you passed out in the hall…Gonzalo is our…'gracious' host…" Roach said bitterly. Something clicked in Ghost's head.

"Wait, he didn't do anything to you? I thought you were awake?" Roach smirked.

"It's simple to play dead." The door swung open, the flood of light from the hallway nearly blinding Ghost as he turned his head away, groaning in discomfort.

"So, Simon, you finally decided to wake up." Gonzalo said lightly as he stepped into the room, standing over Ghost. Ghost looked up at him, not liking the position he was in at all, feeling completely defenseless. "It was about time-since you have wasted two days unconscious, I have lost those two days' planned activities."

"You make it sound we're at some kind of camp." Roach muttered.

"You have awoken as well? That makes it much better." Gonzalo clapped once. Two men came in, Ghost noting how heavily built they were. "This is Jorge and Juan. Personal body guards for me-and wonderful escorts for you."

"I don't swing that way." Roach frowned. Ghost let out a chuckle.

"I assure you they do not either." Gonzalo said stiffly. The two men moved swiftly despite their large size and lifted Ghost and Roach to their feet, Ghost trying not to cry out as he was forced onto his shot knees. They gave out, Ghost falling into a painful heap on the ground, his body protesting as he gave a muffled groan. Roach twisted free from Juan's grip, kneeling next to Ghost.

"You alright?" he asked, scoffing after he spoke. "What am I saying?"

"Wonder that all of the time." Ghost frowned, closing his eyes tightly as he put a hand to each knee, feeling blood steadily flowing out of the reopened wounds.

"We do not have time for this. Jorge, _carga lo_." Gonzalo said. Ghost suddenly found himself hauled to his feet-and before he could protest, was punched in the stomach. He doubled over in pain, winded and coughing hoarsely as he felt himself being lifted until he was thrown over someone's shoulder. He didn't pay attention to the most likely embarrassing position he was in-only the injuries crying out angrily at him for moving so quickly. He could hear Roach muttering dark threats under his breath as they moved. Ghost took as deep of a breath as he could, hanging limply with his eyes closed. A few doors opened, Ghost finding himself falling a short distance until he fell into a hard chair, Roach grunting as he was pushed into another chair opposite him.

"Today will be simple, the next day will be more painful-and so will the next. I assure you, this will be the day you want to come back to." Gonzalo explained as they were tied down, the worn leather deceiving in its strength. Roach glanced up at Ghost, who gave him a halfhearted smirk.

"So, knees are shite…can't walk on my own-I think this is a first you've seen me needing intensive medical attention." He said smoothly. Roach gave a wry smile.

"Sir, I've NEVER seen you go into the medical tent. EVER." Ghost chuckled as Roach continued. "I think you and Scarecrow got blasted by the same RPG, and HE was the one limping between Meat and Royce. While YOU just pretty much went 'fuck it' and killed the SOB that shot you. And then that time you got taken 'hostage' a few months ago in Afghanistan when we were trying to free that school. AND in the Ukraine. OH! And that one time when we both got stuck in the same tree during a HALO exercise-and I got a broken leg-but you didn't!"

"Scarecrow pushed me out of the way. Afghan-Shepherd was a bloody idiot sending me. Ukraine-that was the bloody plan you twat. And you landed wrong-not my fault." Ghost said flatly. Roach laughed.

"OK. So, who's fault was it we landed in the tree?"

"YOU followed me-that was the stupid mistake you made." Ghost frowned.

"You were purposely aiming at the tree?" Ghost gave Roach the "You're stupid, you know that?" look that no one ever saw due to it always being hidden by the balaclava-Roach saw it and immediately shut his mouth, a red tint on his face.

"Honestly, to see you two conversing so casually is amazing in itself." Gonzalo said, looking between the two as Jorge and Juan did something behind him. "Seeing you in the pathetic state you were in last time. Simply lying on the floor whenever we did not take you out, the multitude of times you screamed and begged to be left alone, all of the different things my father had done to you-"

"That's enough. Stop." Ghost said darkly, buried memories resurfacing quickly with each reminder. All of them made him shake with fear, anxiety and the sickening feeling of nausea. He could remember intense pain to various parts of his body, the fear as they would pass by his cell with cold glances and weapons of torture in hand, having to fight his teammates to the death, left to hang on a hook after being taken advantage of, being left behind as your teammates escaped away, and the horror of being buried alive. Those seven months were never kind to him, far from it. By the third month he had been so beaten and battered, they eventually found they could do anything to him-and they did often.

"Oh? I recall you screaming at us to stop. A lot. Even before we did anything to you." Gonzalo smiled wickedly. "You would always cry and say the most ludicrous things-"

"Shut. Up." Ghost growled, noting Roach's complete and horrified fascination in this particular information and was not in the mood-nor would he ever be in the mood-to explain what had happened four years ago.

"I do not think you are in the position to be giving orders, do you?" Gonzalo laughed once. "Maybe it would be a good learning experience for Roach-to see the inner workings and mental stability of his 'friend.'"

"I'm getting sick of listening to you." Ghost shot out. "How about you get whatever we're here for over with, then we can continue this with me using you for target practice?"

"Assuming you can move, correct?" Gonzalo pointed out cocking a thick black eyebrow. Ghost scowled as he tried to shift; his sore body and wrists tied to the chair arms preventing him from doing so. Gonzalo's body guards returned, a small table wheeled in between the two. From his seat Ghost couldn't tell what was on top, noticing Roach trying to peer at its contents.

"The shit is all of that?" Roach asked, brow furrowed in confusion. Ghost watched as Gonzalo seemed to smirk before picking up something wrapped around a brown towel.

"A present my father gave me a few months before Simon _killed_ him. A particular thing I am fond of, best used on people with a smart wit." Gonzalo explained, twisting the object in front of his face and admiring it as if the damned thing was a diamond.

"That sounds bad." Roach said, a faked look of shock on his face.

"Roach, shut up." Ghost frowned, noticing a dark look in Gonzalo's eyes aimed at the Sergeant.

"This particular tool was used on Simon before, in fact, it was used on him frequently." Gonzalo unwrapped the object. It was a knife, with rust-colored stains on the blade and handle. "This knife I used to carve that wonderful mark on Simon's face, some on his back and chest, even a few on his _caj_-"

"You kept it all this time? That's a little disturbing." Roach muttered, his gaze flitting between the knife and Ghost's face. Ghost paid no attention to Roach's gaze, his fixated on the knife held in Gonzalo's hand as he moved a step towards Roach.

"Don't even think about it." Ghost said darkly, his mind already processing Gonzalo's motives.

"Like I said, you are not in the position to be giving orders, are you?" Gonzalo smirked, a look at Juan and Jorge making them move to Roach's side. Roach looked up at the two men, nodding his head.

"Sup?"

"_Sostenga él hacia abajo." _Gonzalo ordered. Ghost watched as the two men put one arm each on Roach's shoulders and held his head steady in place. Roach started to struggle angrily, but an elbow to the still healing gunshot wound made him cease, a pained look on his face as he fought back moans of pain. "I decided on an excellent way of making your stay more enjoyable Simon."

"Really now..." Ghost grumbled, watching Gonzalo pacing silently as Roach coughed.

"Since it was so enjoyable for us to watch whatever happened to you, I wonder what kind of nostalgia it will bring you."

"...You're going to-"

"Do many of the things done to you on Roach? Very good Simon. You certainly learn fast." Ghost only scowled as he made eye contact with Roach-his expression slightly panicked.

"What does that mean?"

"You see the scar on Simon's face? You will have one just like it." Roach shuddered. Without a moment's hesitation, Gonzalo placed the tip of the knife a few inches above Roach's right eye, slowly pressing into the skin and drawing blood. Roach hissed in pain, Ghost struggling futilely to rescue the sergeant. The knife carved downward, Roach nearly crying out as it pressed deeply into his cheek. Ghost locked eyes again with the sergeant, who was holding back tears of pain. Roach let out a sudden scream as the burning of the knife cutting his skin grew unbearable, his face twisted in agony. Ghost felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, one of undefeatable guilt for putting the younger man through this kind of hardship. Roach cried out again as Gonzalo retraced the same pathway, making sure the cut would leave a decent mark when it healed.

"Don't you think that's enough?" Ghost spat, Gonzalo pausing in his cutting. The only sounds in the room were Roach sniffing and the worn leather creaking as Ghost tried to free himself. Gonzalo turned slowly, looking at Ghost with a questioning glance.

"Simon, do you want to make this worse on your friend? I think deep down you enjoy seeing the younger man in pain." He smirked as Ghost grinded his teeth in anger.

"You know that's not what I mean-"

"I know what you meant Simon." Gonzalo interrupted. With a smirk, he turned and sliced diagonally at Roach's chest, Roach screaming as blood started to flow out. This sparked anger in Ghost, and he started to struggle against his bonds in a renewed aggression. "You want to be a part of this just as much as I am."

"Stop trying to twist my words!" Ghost said angrily, ignoring his slightly raw wrists. "Leave Roach out of this!"

"No." Gonzalo said simply, another two slashes across Roach's chest. Ghost struggled even more, a wicked smile on Gonzalo's face as Roach took a deep breath, biting his tongue to prevent himself from crying out.

"You bastard!"

"Like I said, Simon. You seem to enjoy watching this young man in pain." Ghost and Roach looked at each other, both eyes filled with pain. "Any other injuries you would like to see occur?" Gonzalo asked, the knife resting above Roach's neck. Ghost eyed it, his eyes darting between Roach's face and the knife before he stopped, sighing as he hung his head.

"No…"

"Such a shame…but it does not matter. He will be able to acquire most, if not all of the same scars you have by two month's time." Gonzalo shook his head, lifting the knife away from Roach. The wet blood stood out against the dried blood, the knife gaining a dark look as Gonzalo put it down on the table. With a short order, Juan and Jorge stepped back, a few words exchanged between the two. Roach tilted his head back with a groan, Ghost keeping his gaze down. "Do not be so upset Simon. I assure you, you will be able to see Roach in much more pain later on.

"Fuck you, useless wanker."

"We must fix that temper, but not now. Juan, Jorge." Gonzalo said stiffly. As the two were released from their bonds and Ghost was lifted to his feet, did he remember his knees were in no condition to support his weight. Juan tossed one of Ghost's arms over his shoulders, acting as a support for Ghost as they walked. Roach was carried firefighter style, mostly to cause more pain to his new injuries it seemed, as with every step Ghost could hear him hissing in pain. They were left in their cells, Roach dropped like a sack of potatoes as Ghost was left somewhat standing, gritting his teeth as he slid down the wall. A few minutes passed in silence between the two, until Ghost took off his shirt, ignoring his wounds as he tore the shirt into strips. He motioned for Roach to do the same, ripping half of Roach's shirt into strips and the rest into squares.

"Come here bug." Ghost motioned. Roach complied, sitting next to the lieutenant as he kept blood from flowing into his eye.

"It all hurts like a bitch…" Roach muttered as he tried to move his jaw, the cut flesh stretching grotesquely.

"Don't do that, it'll make it more like mine." Ghost muttered. Roach stopped, watching as Ghost placed some of the squares on his face before securing them with some of the strips. He proceeded to move to Roach's chest-what prevented him was the younger man's hand.

"You still need it for your knees too, don't waste it al-"

"It's fine Roach."

"Gh-"

"I've been through it before, I can live through it again. I'm more worried about you right now, so please bear with me on this. You're still young, you still aren't as fucked up as I am, and I don't plan on letting you become like me." Ghost clamped his mouth shut-most of that wasnot supposed to be said aloud. Roach blinked as Ghost looked away, removing his hand.

"…only because you said please." Roach smirked.

"Twat."

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><p><strong>Had some shit done to just Roach-I dunno if I'm going to keep doing it like that, or sprinkle it throughout-I mean, they DO have two months with the homicidal, slightly mental Gonzalo... Haha riiiight...Hope you enjoyed this chapter...ON TO THE NEXT!<strong>


	7. It's just a little dip

**Yea...I have no reason as to why this is late other than me being lazy-  
>You're lucky I'm even uploading this, when I'm watching IronMan. . . Yup. IronMan. Be jealous. <strong>

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><p>Ghost awoke first the next morning, feeling something warm resting against his right shoulder. He looked down, spotting brown hair haphazardly sticking up around a strip of white.<p>

"Roach…" Ghost mumbled, shaking his head softly. He didn't recall falling asleep-much less letting the young sergeant use his shoulder as a pillow. Ghost closed his eyes, tilting his head back against the concrete wall. With a sigh, he started to move his left arm, ignoring the pain it caused. He didn't dare move his knees-that thought alone made him feel sharp stabs of pain.

A groan sounded, Roach shifting slightly until he sat up on his own, rubbing his uninhibited eye blearily before trying to rub his right eye. He paused, Ghost watching in amusement as Roach felt the cloth covering his face. A very confused look came on his face as his fingers skimmed over the material.

"…what the fuck…?

"G'morning bug." Ghost said humorously. Roach jumped, turning to face Ghost.

"…wh-…Ghost?" Roach asked, squinting his visible eye.

"Who else would it be?" Ghost raised an eyebrow, Roach frowning in return.

"Dude, it's been, what, five days? This is the first time I've ever seen your face, so it's kind of hard to recognize you." Roach grumbled in annoyance. "And my eyesight is shit when I first wake up, not my fault."

"Isn't that a medical issue that should be noted in your dossier?" Ghost asked, ignoring Roach's first complaint.

"…it isn't already?" Roach muttered, looking down at his chest. He frowned, tracing the dried blood that went diagonally across. "…do you really have the same scars?"

"Apparently-I don't really pay attention to it Roach." Ghost frowned. "Strange, but not unexpected, for Gonzalo to remember every little thing he did to u-me…" Roach cast him a glance before his eyes went down to Ghost's chest, a small frown on his face.

"I guess you do. And a helluva lot more." Ghost didn't bother to look, only giving a wry smile. Roach copied the smile, hand still hovering over his makeshift bandage.

"Good morning." The door swung open, Gonzalo in jeans and a plain black shirt. His prized Desert Eagle was still strapped to his leg, a type of reminder of who was in charge. Ghost frowned as Roach shrank a little closer to him.

"Never a good morning with you around." Ghost said. With a frown and spoken order, Juan and Jorge came in, Roach mumbling under his breath as they were hoisted to their feet; Ghost was helped to walk as they followed Gonzalo down the stark white hallways. The two Task Force men blinked furiously as their eyes watered from the brightness, slightly stumbling as they walked.

"You two are so slow." Gonzalo seemed to complain as they stopped at a door.

"If you hadn't bloody shot my knees-" Ghost started angrily. Juan, who was helping Ghost walk, gave a sharp kick to his left knee-the white hot pain made Ghost cry out, taking in deep breaths through clenched teeth as he fell to the side as Juan dropped him. He landed against Roach, who kept him up as the three men watched, Gonzalo's eyes dancing with happiness. The door slid open, Roach and Ghost forced inside behind Gonzalo. In the middle of the pristine white room were two wooden chairs sitting side by side, two large tubs of icy water sitting in front of them.

"You've GOT to be kidding me." Roach grumbled as he spotted the equipment.

"I found this particular method while on the internet-such am amazing discovery. Regardless, it seems if one were to submerge a victim's head in water enough times they would be more willing to comply with another's wishes, the fear of drowning making them more than cooperative." Gonzalo explained as Ghost and Roach were tied to the chairs.

"I thought that waterb-"

"Roach, are you honestly going to finish that sentence?" Ghost interrupted the sergeant sharply, looking right to give him a stern look. Roach paused, mouth open mid-word before he clamped it shut, shaking his head.

"That was stupid."

"No shite, twat."

"If you were referring to waterboarding-" Gonzalo said suddenly. "I am well aware of that technique." Ghost shot a glare at Roach.

"Good going."

"It wasn't my fault!" Roach protested.

"If we could continue." Gonzalo frowned. Jorge approached behind Roach, a thick glove on one hand. He passed the other to Gonzalo, who slid it over his own hand swiftly. "I know we do not really want information from you, however, it would be nice to call you by your real name instead of 'Roach' all of the time."

"What if I told you I had horrible birth parents? They called me a dangerous lunatic. And fed me only potatoes, well, it didn't matter when the birds ate it before I got to." Roach replied, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to keep his laughs in. "And to top it off, they shipped me off to this science-y place where they made me a lab rat all of the time, had to wear this horrible orange jumpsuit-but at least they gave us sixty bucks for it!" Ghost only stared in awe and confusion as Roach spun an extravagant tale about meeting a new friend who tried to help him get back home and some random adventures. Some unseen signal was sent to Jorge, who grabbed a fistful of Roach's hair, makeshift bandage going askew as he forced Roach's head underwater. Ghost was about to voice his anger when someone-he knew was Gonzalo-grabbed a fistful of hair roughly, eliciting a hiss of pain as his hair was pulled up by the roots, and suddenly feeling the icy sting of the water as it surrounded his head. His immediate reaction was to gasp. That was not the best thing to do; seeing as how he immediately got a rather large amount of water in his lungs. The next reaction was to get the hell out-the hand with the vice grip on his hair thought otherwise, keeping him firmly in place as he tried to rise out of the water. The frantic struggling only made it worse, Ghost's lungs burning in protest for oxygen. Precious air escaped his lips and bubbled to the surface of the water, spots starting to dance into his vision with the black starting to creep in. As he started to get light-headed, mercy seemed to come as his head was jerked up, free from the water's grip. Ghost coughed, gasping as he tried to regain his breath and at the same time expel the water trapped in his lungs. Roach was in the same position, trying desperately to catch his breath.

"That was only for thirty seconds, I hope you realize." Gonzalo said simply, his grip on Ghost's hair tightening painfully. Ghost hissed in pain, eyes shut tight as Gonzalo seemed to jerk his wrist, at the same time twisting Ghost's head to the side.

"Pull ti-tighter on m-my hair, wo-would ya?" Roach sputtered as he regained his breath. "I-I still ha-have my scalp."

"If you have the breath to talk, you definitely have the breath to stay submerged longer than thirty seconds, agreed?" Gonzalo asked threateningly.

"Not in the sli-" Roach was cut off when Ghost's head was once again submerged in the water. Not recovered from the first time made it all the more harder for him to keep from taking in a deep breath-resulting in another lungful of water if done. His throat closed on its own, vision swimming and fading in and out as he fought his body's natural instincts, still struggling to rise above the water's level to get even a small amount of oxygen. Ghost could faintly hear voices above him, someone talking before everything blended into a fog that settled in his head, muddling everything into a blur. Something burned in his chest, prompting him to take a breath out of reflex. The amount of icy water he consumed in that one 'breath' blew the fog away, reminding him he was in grave danger of drowning and he was lacking air. Just as he started to panic his head was lifted with a jerk, a gasp of both pain and the need to breathe was the first thing that passed his lips, coughing violently to get rid of the water settling into his lungs. He leaned back as much as the hand gripping his hair would let him, taking deep breaths as his chest heaved. With a slightly open eye he spotted Roach in a similar fashion, his breathing much shallower. Jorge looked down at Roach, tightening his grip on Roach's hair slightly every few seconds and pulling up. Roach made a small noise of discomfort but did nothing more, opting to stay quiet. Ghost understood why-Roach's lip would be the cause of more 'underwater adventures' and for much longer periods of time.

"Are we done talking for the day?" Gonzalo asked, looking between the two soldiers. Roach coughed once, water spilling onto his lap. Ghost closed his eyes, tensed in case he was forced back under water. "That is a relief. You two talking irritates me immensely." Ghost sensed Roach was about to add his two cent's into the conversation.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Roach asked offhandedly.

'_I can predict the future.'_ Ghost thought as he shook his head.

"That mission in Alaska a few months ago-" Ghost stopped him short.

"The one where the captain, Reaper and I panicked when you got trapped under the ice because you fell in?" Roach went red with embarrassment.

"I did _not_ fall in. I told you, I dove in because I thought I saw so-"

"Saw your own reflection, right you _narcissist_?" Ghost frowned.

"_NO_, I thought I saw someone underwater!"

"You fell in and were trapped for a full three minutes before Reaper spotted you a hundred meters away under the meter thick ice banging desperately to break free." Ghost said monotonously. Roach's face became a deeper shade of red.

"N-"

Before Roach's retort could be made, the two found themselves being submerged, struggling frantically to resurface. The third time, all cognitive thoughts were tossed aside with reckless abandon as the two tried desperately to free themselves. This time it seemed like much longer than any previous, maybe because Ghost was so unprepared, ready instead to retort to any comment Roach was about to make that he was too surprised to hold his breath. This led to him being completely out of air as it all bubbled to the surface, fighting against Gonzalo's firm grip. The seconds ticked by, Ghost's frantic struggling slowing down as the fog entered his mind once again, white sparks flickering as black crept ever so slowly into his vision. Everything seemed to slow down, the sharp ache and pounding reappearing in his chest reminding him vaguely that he needed oxygen to live. His body instinctively took in another deep breath of what his brain thought was just really thick air, prompting the blackness to sweep over his vision completely as the stars twinkled out, something gripping his head pushing him forward. And suddenly, he started to fall in the opposite direction as bubbles of air passed his lips, everything rushing past him-or was he passing it? Ghost couldn't tell anymore-nor did he care, as a sort of blissful feeling washed over him, someone's calls echoing faintly.

"_Ghost! You fuckin' killed him! You bastard! GHOST! Wake up!"  
><em>

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><p>Roach was pulled unceremoniously out of the water, gasping for air as he coughed violently. His throat was sore, and he was starting to shiver from the water's icy temperature. The grip on his hair was released, letting him hand his head in exhaustion.<p>

"…_él no está respirando." _Gonzalo's voice drifted in the room. Roach didn't take any heed to the Spanish, coughing again to rid the water trapped in his lungs. When Jorge moved away behind him, he relaxed, closing his eyes and listening as something to his left was moved.

Ghost was on his left.

Roach reopened his eyes and turned his head to see Ghost's face a pale blue and body unnaturally still, watching as he was laid down, chest not moving. Suddenly Roach understood what that Spanish meant.

_He isn't breathing._

"Ghost! You fuckin' killed him! You bastard! GHOST! Wake up!" Roach screamed in a panic as Juan and Jorge knelt down, blocking Ghost from view as they started CPR. Gonzalo watched a little ways off with a dark look, issuing orders in a quiet hiss. Roach was focused on the top half of Ghost's head that wasn't hidden with anxiety, willing for the Lieutenant to open his eyes, say something, to _breathe._

"_Yo no creo que pueda ser revivido_." Juan said as Jorge continued, rhythmically pumping down on Ghost's chest.

"_Hacerle respirar de nuevo_." Gonzalo said bitterly, gaze flitting to Roach as he tried to free his hands futilely.

A sudden gasp interrupted anything Juan was about to say as Ghost started to cough, taking in deep breaths in between spitting out mouthfuls of water onto the floor next to him. Jorge forced Ghost to tilt his head to the side to avoid choking as Roach gave a sigh of relief.

"Tie him back down." Gonzalo didn't bother speaking in Spanish as Ghost slowly opened unfocused eyes and scanned around him. Roach winced as Jorge and Juan pulled Ghost up by the shoulders, the sharp pain looking as if it gave a little sense back to Ghost as he moaned in pain, sat back into the chair and retied down. He hung limply, wet hair dripping in clumps and sticking to his forehead. Roach frowned as Gonzalo leaned closer to Ghost, whispering something into his ear with an amused look in his direction. Ghost shook his head slowly, muttering something in reply. Gonzalo's expression darkened as he stood rigid, glare redirected at Roach. Another muttered phrase had Ghost shaking his head a bit faster, eyes opened partially to give an exhausted glare.

"Bad enough I almost died in front of the kid, now you want to do that?" Ghost spoke quietly, his voice rough and edgy. Roach was now more confused as Gonzalo smirked, putting a hand into his pocket and fiddling with something. A few thoughts passed Roach's mind, increasing with every quiet sentence spoken between the two. It seemed to get much more heated with the passing minutes, hearing little snatches-none of them were pleasant words.

"Well, we did forget Roach had a say in this." Gonzalo said airily. Ghost frowned angrily.

"I told you already to leave him alone."

"But since when do I listen to you Simon?" Gonzalo moved slowly towards the deeply confused Roach. This didn't seem to be a situation he wanted to be involved in as he unconsciously tried to move away from the approaching man. The _very _dangerous spark in Gonzalo's eyes, and the _very _dangerousknife now in his hands (that was probably what was in his pocket the entire time-Roach had no idea where it came from otherwise, and other reasons would make him feel a little too awkward to even suggest) had a dozen different ways he could be harmed forming in his head.

"You know, now's a good time to start! I mean, Ghost _is _a lieutenant, and he is scary as shit when he's angry! He once had me running _one hundred laps_ after _four hundred _push ups AND sit ups!" Roach tried to reason, pulling once at his bound wrists futilely before sighing, knowing Gonzalo wasn't going to stop.

"Leave. Him. Alone." Ghost said angrily, gritting his teeth as Juan and Jorge pressed him back into his chair. Roach flinched when a cold blade touched his cheek, closing his eyes as Gonzalo sought to make eye contact.

"What would be the fun in not seeing the pain in your eyes, the panic as you are left helpless, even when you have someone you trust nearby, unable to help?" Gonzalo seemed to treat Roach like an infant or toddler, one hand grazing over his hair. Roach shuddered, feeling the knife trace his still raw cut on his face. It stung smartly, small droplets of blood resurfacing. "Does it hurt?"

"Stop!" Ghost yelled, trying to shrug off the hands holding him back. Roach was biting his tongue and keeping his eyes shut, refusing to give into Gonzalo. The knife was removed, finding a new spot on his right shoulder.

"Seems to hurt a little, doesn't it Roach? It can stop, if I knew your real name."

"Piss off." Roach grumbled, wincing when he felt a new slice trace over his shoulder. It took all of his training and mental stamina to not yell out every single obscenity in the known universe, instead opting to take slow, deep breaths. He could hear Ghost nearly _growling _with anger as he tried to free himself, Juan and Jorge laughing at his attempts. Even with his eyes closed Roach could tell Gonzalo leaned in closer to him, judging by being able to feel someone's breath on his face as the knife found a new perch on his right forearm.

"Why are you being so difficult Roach? It's simple, just tell me your name."

"Piss. Off." Roach repeated, his forearm feeling as if it were on fire, knowing there was bound to be a nice, new laceration. Barely opening his eyes and keeping his gaze down did he see the knife was starting to grow red with his blood, and the new cut was still forming was well past five inches in length.

"Leave Roach alone!" Ghost said angrily.

"Simon, do you want a repeat of last time? I know you enjoyed it very much, but Roach seems to be a little young to be broken so early, correct?" Gonzalo asked. Roach let out a barely audible hiss as he felt the knife press down into the fresh cut, keeping himself occupied by thinking of why it wasn't such a brilliant idea to tell Gonzalo his name.

'_I can deal with the pain, he doesn't need to know my name-my name leads to the other's names, that leads to MacTavish's name, MacTavish's name leads to the Task Force, which leads to Shepherd, our objectives-Everything! Keep it in Sanderson, don't blow it-Do NOT blow it! It's just a way of letting him win-don't let him win Sanderson! I will slap you if you let your name slip!' _

"Roach isn't a plaything for you! Why not have at it with me instead!" Ghost said angrily. Gonzalo seemed to press down too hard on the knife-which had found a new home on Roach's left forearm-'accidentally', penetrating an inch deep into the skin. Roach couldn't help but let out the cry of pain he was trying to corral in, small tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He took heavy breaths, biting his lip to distract himself even more with the mantra in his head-'_Don't talk don't talk don't talk.'_

"I guess we can…allot, for this one time. _Tome__la parte de atrás__de América__a su celda__. __Deje Simon aquí." _Gonzalo said crisply. Roach stared in confusion as Juan and Jorge seemed to abandon their guard of Ghost, coming to him and releasing his bonds. Roach soon found himself lifted by his upper arms-Jorge's grip on his right arm over his recently acquired cut-and being frog-marched out. What puzzled him was that Ghost wasn't coming with him.

"Wait, what about Ghost?" He asked, turning his head to look at Gonzalo. He wished he hadn't, when a very dark smile worked its way onto Gonzalo's face.

"Do not worry-Simon and I are going to be reacquainted with one another." Gonzalo replied. Roach twisted around as Juan and Jorge pushed him out, looking at Ghost. His head was down, gaze kept away from both Roach and Gonzalo as Gonzalo pulled out another knife, tip resting on the back of Ghost's neck.

"Ghost! No, wai-" With that, the door slammed shut, separating the two men. Down the hall before Roach reached his cell, he could hear Ghost yelling.

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><p><strong>uuuuuuuh...yeah I really don't know where this all came from, and I'm thinking that some of this is a little...meh...<br>I dunno, if it's a little...off...don't kill me, this is a good time for constructive criticism~ Please, do rip this chapter apart, I beg of you~~**

**Reduced to begging...huh. . .**  
><strong>*ponders*<br>Ooooh, btw, Butterscotch MacTavish, I'm sorry I hadn't replied to your PM, but I hadn't honestly seen it until I looked at the reviews-manually. I haven't gotten ANY emails from , and I would be glad to talk to you via PM about your well, PM. I am sorry about that. **


	8. Into The Ring

**... I am sorry for the wait-  
><strong>**BUT THERE IS A LOGICAL EXPLANATION I SWEAR!**

**My laptop got a corrupted OS halfway through, and Geek Squad was nice enough to wipe my hard drive...did I say nice? I meant evil...so yea, had to retype this chapter...but I hope you guys enjoy~**

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><p>Ghost was in no means a pleasant mood. It had been about three days (if he was counting correctly, seeing as how his sense of time was starting to slip) since his near-death experience. Afterwards Gonzalo had his version of "fun" involving several types of blades, rubbing alcohol and new scars. He wasn't surprised when Roach told him he could hear him screaming. He wasn't going to try and bull shit that-it hurt, a lot. The next few days they were left with more scars-Ghost having to watch Roach receive new, very similar injuries to the ones he had received before. Currently he and Roach were still in their cell, Roach having just woken up and barely seeing Ghost's angry glare at the door.<p>

"Are you trying to melt a hole in the door so we could escape?" Roach questioned, rubbing his still healing stomach as he grinned. "Or is there some sort of death trap on the handle that'll trigger when Gonzalo opens the door, and you can't wait to see it?"

"Not funny Roach." Ghost frowned. Roach's grin faltered, turning into a sigh.

"I know. But if looks could kill, I think by now America and half of China would be keeling over."

"That's a lot of people Roach." Ghost glanced at the sergeant, noting the very new laceration on his right shoulder that matched his own injury from four years ago. Roach shrugged, standing up stiffly.

"Yeah, but that look has a lot of hate in it." He said, twisting his torso and getting a symphony of cracks going up his spine. "That felt so good." Roach sighed, leaning against the wall and sliding down until he sat next to the lieutenant. He gave a wide grin, Ghost returning a small smile halfheartedly before he tilted his head back, hitting the wall behind him softly.

"You alright?" Ghost asked. Roach gave a nonchalant shrug.

"I'm ignoring the stabbing pain of starvation eating at my stomach-" Roach paused as both of their stomachs gave very loud and audible growls of hunger. "But other than the parched mouth that feels like Death Valley, I'm alright-minus injuries."

"That was…informative. I was trying to keep my mind off of all of that, but thank you Roach for bringing it up." Ghost frowned.

"Your welcome!"

"That was sarcasm Roach."

"I know." Roach grinned widely for the third time in ten minutes. "So, wonder what Gonzalo has planned for us today."

"Don't care." Ghost said sharply. "He's grating on my nerves more than his father-that's saying something." Roach grew silent, his grin sliding off his face.

"…what did they do to you last time?" he asked. Ghost glanced at him, a far off look in his eyes before he returned his glare to the door.

"I can't even remember half of the stuff, to be honest." He finally said. Roach gave him a confused glance that didn't go unnoticed. "Roach, I was drugged, beaten, and other excruciating things. I'm surprised I even remember what I do remember. And I don't want to remember any of it."

"But it sorta gives you an idea on what he's planning, doesn't it?" Roach pointed out, Ghost finding the sergeant to be correct, even if he hated the idea. If he remembered, the two of them could be better prepared for the trials they were going to face the rest of their stay there. Well, the better Roach could face everything and leaving much less scarred than Ghost himself had been. If this was Roach's first time being captured-and it was-then Roach had never hit his breaking point. Well, that Ghost was aware of, since he didn't know much about Roach's personal life. Roach nudged Ghost out of his thoughts, a concerned look on his face.

"Er, sorry. But you're right on that, I guess." Ghost muttered, running a hand through his greasy hair.

"So…" Roach sighed, tilting his head back to hit the concrete wall behind him. "I don't know why, but I'm bored."

"And you're announcing this in the hopes that it'll keep you entertained? Good luck with that." Ghost grumbled, slowly moving his legs. He was determined to be able to stand on his own-and he could for about five minutes before his knees buckled on him. At the first attempt two days ago, Roach had all but moved a mountain and birthed a cow when Ghost stood on his own for the first time, pacing the length of the room with the walls well past arm's reach. Roach had almost scolded Ghost for risking even more injury to himself and not letting his wounds recover, but the determined look hidden behind scarred and dead eyes had him balk, words faltering before they escaped his mouth.

Ghost huffed, taking one glance down at the blood slowly dripping out of his wounds and disregarding them. He'd been through worse, but with the doting sergeant also keeping a wary lookout for him as well, Ghost was sure to keep himself as 'healthy' as possible. This was tolerable for the moment.

The door swung open, the brightness from the hall seemingly trying to flood the small crack and enter the room. The two inside shielded their eyes quickly, hearing something drop onto the floor before the door slammed shut again. Roach blinked rapidly, getting up slowly and heading towards the door to gather whatever parcel had just been delivered to them.

"It's…pants." Roach announced, confused as he unfurled them. Ghost looked up, a confused glance exchanged between the two.

"Pants? That's it? No explosives or anything?" Ghost asked. Roach shrugged, searching the pockets of one pair before picking up the other, also searching them. He looked at the tags, tossing one to Ghost.

"Doesn't look dangerous. Nothing hidden in them." Roach slipped his pair on quickly, rolling the slightly long pants up before helping Ghost.

"I'm not paralyzed." Ghost grumbled in annoyance. Roach smirked, helping Ghost get dressed regardless.

"So, from anything you remember, what do pants signify?" Roach asked. Ghost frowned, thinking back. Nothing really stuck out to him, flashes from being beaten to brief flashes of sunlight followed by-wait.

"Oh, he is taking the piss…" Ghost said angrily. Roach gave him a confused look as Ghost sat up, leaning on the wall as he stood.

"What?"

"Do not tell him Simon; that would ruin the surprise." Gonzalo said suddenly, the harsh lights coming in once again. Roach and Ghost groaned as they were temporarily blinded, Gonzalo's silhouette standing in front of them.

"What the fuck man! I didn't know becoming blind was a part of this!" Roach moaned angrily, alternating between rubbing his eyes and blinking rapidly.

They were led out behind Gonzalo, Roach giving questioning glances to Ghost all the while. Ghost shook his head, drilling holes in the back of Gonzalo's head.

"Seriously, America and half of China." Roach whispered. Ghost gave a wry smile before it gave way to an angered glare as Gonzalo opened a set of doors in front of him, leading out into a yard. Roach looked around, spinning in a circle as he gazed up at the sky. Ghost spared him a glance, seeing childlike wonder in the sergeant's eyes at being able to see the sun once again. They made eye contact, Roach's infectious grin working its way to Ghost. It disappeared when Gonzalo stopped them, a ring of people coming and surrounding them.

"This seems a little too familiar." Ghost said. Gonzalo laughed lightly, pulling out his Desert Eagle and spinning it fluidly in his hands once again. Ghost wished he could take the gun, shove it u-

"I should hope so-these were some of the more entertaining times we had with you." Gonzalo replied, interrupting Ghost's day dream. The ring of people surrounding them tightened slightly, Roach now gazing at the faces watching them.

"I feel like we're on display. It's kinda creepy." Roach mumbled.

"We are Roach." Ghost said quietly, Roach's eyes going wide in amazement.

"For what? No one's seen an American before? They just have to go north; they'll find a whole bunch of us staring down the boarder!" Roach exclaimed, not noticing the stern look he was receiving from Ghost.

"You see, we grow bored here at times." Gonzalo started, pacing in a slow circle around them. "Simon knows fully well what is abo-"

"We're not doing it." Ghost said quickly. A small frown slipped from Gonzalo as he regained his composure, still circling them.

"Well Simon, it is not like you have a choice in the matter."

"What, are you going to kill us if we don't go along with it?" Ghost scoffed. "Make our lives a living hell? Already been there."

"Ghost, what's going on?" Roach hissed, scanning the faces watching them with excitement. "They look like their ready to watch a fight."

"They are." Ghost repeated sourly. Roach nodded slowly in understanding.

"Oh…wait, what?"

"We could always shock you into fighting. Then again, there are much more fun ways of invoking this." Gonzalo passed behind them, Roach slowly moving closer to Ghost. With a sigh Gonzalo stopped in front of them, the gun still dancing in his hands and catching the sunlight. "Why must you make this so difficult?"

"I'm not fighting Roach." Ghost said defiantly.

"And I'm not fighting Ghost!" Roach said quickly.

"Well then…" Gonzalo ceased his gun's dance, two men stepping forward at his gaze. "If not each other, how about my two strongest men?"

"No thanks." Ghost frowned. His legs were shaking slightly-he was reaching his limit. He put a hand on Roach's shoulder, both to comfort the sergeant and to keep his balance. However, his support system was taken from him quickly, cries of protest issued from the both of them as Roach's arms were twisted behind his back. Roach was trying to break free, the grip becoming tighter the more he struggled. Ghost moved forward to assist him, a widely grinning man stepping in front of him. Before Ghost could make a move of self-defense, he felt a solid blow to his stomach, winding him. His knees also chose at that time to give up, buckling under him until he was a gasping heap on the ground.

"Ghost! Let me go you sick pricks!" Roach twisted more violently, trying to help the downed lieutenant.

"What would be the fun in that?" Gonzalo replied. Roach let out a furious yell as he managed to jerk free, a fist flying into his captor's jaw and sending him to the ground. Two men from the circle stepped forward, yelling at Roach in Spanish angrily.

"Bring it on motherfuckers!" Roach yelled angrily, cracking his knuckles before swinging at the closest one to him with a left hook, catching everyone by surprise when he landed the solid blow on the side of the head. He followed with a knee to the stomach and an elbow to the back of the neck. The other took his place as he lay sprawled on the ground unconscious. Roach grinned, looking at Gonzalo. "This the kind of fight you were looking for?"

"Not quite." Gonzalo replied. Roach ducked under the fist his next adversary swung, sliding to the right and delivering a swift kick into his side. The other man's face contorted in pain as he held onto his side, using his free hand to take another swing. Roach stepped back, grabbing the fist out of the air with his left hand and twisting until he was close enough to trip the man and pin him to the ground, aiming a fist at the man's nose. A loud crack and scream accompanied the flow of blood from his broken nose. Roach took the opportunity to kick the man while he was down, eliciting a sharp, high pitch squeak of pain from the hit to his family jewels. Roach looked to Ghost, who was slowly getting up on his hands and knees. Ghost looked up, his gaze past Roach and widening in surprise. Roach gave him a confused glance as Ghost tried to say something.

"B-behind you!" Ghost finally coughed out, Roach turning around to find a fist flying right at his face. He didn't-couldn't react in time, receiving the full force of the punch. He stumbled backwards, seeing stars before crashing into a wall of flesh. Various hands shoved him forward until a solid kick to the stomach made him buckle in pain, gasping as his wound reopened once again. Roach blinked, seeing a knee speed up until it hit in him the forehead, throwing his head back. He lost his balance, falling onto his back flat, knocking the little air he had out of his lungs. Stars danced in his sight, someone pulling him up by the arm and spun him once to face each other. Through blurry, star specked sight he saw Jorge grinning darkly before a fist landed on his right eye, Roach crying out as his cut over his eye was hit. He could already tell it was ripped open again, warm blood flowing down his cheek. He stumbled back, wiping his eyes clear of the stars before staring back at Jorge.

"You know, that was a bitch move, right?" Roach grumbled, wiping the blood off his hands onto his pants. Jorge merely smirked before striking out with a kick, Roach catching it and pulling up. Jorge fell on his back, twisting until Roach let go and sweeping his legs out. For the second time Roach landed flat on his back, winded and seeing multiple stars. As his vision cleared he saw Gonzalo and a few other men standing over him.

"You certainly know how to fight." He remarked, putting a boot over Roach's upper left arm as the others held down his legs and right arm. "Even if you are right handed, you seem to favor your left side." Roach looked at him, puzzled but unable to stand up or move. Gonzalo smiled, slowly stepping down on Roach's arm. Hard.

"Get off of him!" Ghost yelled, barely standing before he was shoved back down, landing on his stomach. Jorge planted a foot on Ghost's back as others kept him to the ground as Roach cried out, trying to move away as the pressure grew unbearable, feeling his bone bending under the pressure. A moment later the group heard an audible _crack. _Roach screamed in agony as Gonzalo pressed a bit harder before relenting, signaling to the others to step back as he did, watching Roach curl around his broken arm, sobbing as he tried to sit up and cradle it to prevent further harm. Ghost was at this point trying desperately to get up as Gonzalo circled them once again, a predatory gleam in his eyes.

"Well, your bones are much weaker than I had anticipated. And you seem to be bleeding again from your eye and stomach. Perhaps it would be best if you two were taken to the infirmary for a day. Jorge, Juan, _los llevan a la enfermería." _Gonzalo ordered, Roach felt a pair of hands grab him by the shoulder, jolting his broken arm and making him cry out, swearing colorfully as he tried to protect it again from further harm. Ghost was behind him, held up behind two other men as his knees bled. Roach glanced back at him, frowning deeply.

"You're bleeding." Ghost mimicked the frown.

"I knew that. Your arm's broken."

"I knew that too."

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><p><strong>Not the best but oh well...<br>****Go rip this thing up please~ I feel like this chapter could have been a lot better...but I don't know how!  
>I am opening myself up to the strictest criticism. <strong>


	9. Solicit Some Sense

**H4H4H4 H3Y TH3R3!  
>Sorry, I've been reading Homestuck...a lot...lately, and I started to use Terezi's typing quirk...I recommend Homestuck, it's on MS Paint adventures~<br>Anyway, I decided to take a break from Ghost and Roach and show our wonderfully Scottish Captain MacTavish... (BTW, new boyfriend got a haircut-he looks like MacTavish now, and is sooo much higher in my book now, Jegus I love him...)  
>But yea anyway, enough with that anecdote. I will say the next chapter-and I'm pretty the next one as well-will be very, very, very intense. And I mean like...You're going to wonder why I wrote it when I really, really, really am squirmish around that stuff...<br>You'll see...  
>Enough about that, I hope you enjoy <em>this<em> chapter first! **

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><p>That mission was one of the worst he's experienced since the formation of the Task Force-and he vowed for nothing like that to ever happen again.<p>

For over the past week now, MacTavish had holed up in his office, the lights dimmed and blinds shut. It was havoc on his eyesight, but with his sole focus of attention on his computer and the mass of paperwork he actually despised with all of his might he enjoyed the dark. It kept him from seeing things, like Roach's stupid grin on his face as he would burst in laughing with the latest joke someone on base said that he already heard; Ghost merely coming in unannounced and silent, sitting across from him and saying one word and laughing when MacTavish jumped a foot in the air because he was concentrating on something else; Flicks coming in with, true to his call sign, a new movie for MacTavish to watch on his downtime-which were actually good recommendations; and Blackbird with some interesting fact of life that he shared with everyone to brighten their days.

He didn't want to remind himself that two of those four were dead; and that the other two were currently (hopefully alive) in the hands of someone they had no information on. The prospect on their current condition was grim.

These thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind as MacTavish glanced over at the foot-high paperwork he had just completed, rubbing one eye tiredly. There was no denying he was extremely exhausted-to anybody coming into the room they could see the dead tired eyes with dark circles encompassing them, the stress clearly written on his face. The unkempt Mohawk and facial hair left him with a gruff appearance, and the probable smell of unkempt hygiene lingered around him.

MacTavish knew he was a complete wreck; he wasn't going to deny it. But the constant work made him not think.

Someone knocked on the door. MacTavish had locked it when he burrowed inside his office, trying to avoid his team. But with the curious sound of keys entering the lock MacTavish stared at the door, eyes widening when Archer walked in.

"We need to get you out of here John. This isn't healthy."

"Archer? Wha-how did you get my keys?" MacTavish rubbed his eyes vigorously as Archer turned on the light.

"I've had your keys since the first day of the Task Force. You gave them to me." Archer replied coolly, surveying the mess he found himself in. "Burying yourself in work again? You can't keep doing this."

"I can do whatever the hell I want." MacTavish muttered angrily. Archer sighed, sitting in the chair opposite MacTavish. MacTavish slumped back into his chair, sighing as Archer studied his features.

"When was the last time you ate? Or slept? Or God forbid actually took a shower?" Archer finally asked.

"How many days has it been since the mission?" MacTavish asked.

"Nine."

"There's your answer."

"John, this isn't healthy." Archer's face held a deep frown as they made eye contact.

"Aye, but who ever said being a captain was a healthy job?"

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant." MacTavish leaned forward, resting his head on propped up hands. "I just haven't had the time."

"Haven't had the time? Or forcing yourself to work thus not letting yourself have time?" Archer countered.

"I don't need this right now Marcus." MacTavish groaned.

"Right, what you do need is a meal, a hot shower, and rest." Archer nodded.

"Marcus…"

"John. You're beating yourself up over this! It's almost as bad as four yea-"

"Don't go there." MacTavish said sternly. Archer remained silent, radiating anger. "I just lost four good men. I-"

"You said you would go back for them." Archer reminded him bitterly. MacTavish balked, pausing for a moment before letting his head fall onto the desk.

"I know, I know."

"Then bloody do something about it!" Archer yelled, slamming a fist down on the table making MacTavish jump in surprise. "We're all upset at what happened John! But what happens, happens! But now we have to fix it!" MacTavish remained still, taking deep breaths before slowly sitting up.

"I…I guess you're right."

"Bloody hell am I right."

"Right…where to start?" MacTavish asked.

"…Jayhawk and I went to the compound three days ago to see what we could find." Archer answered hesitantly. MacTavish raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh? What happened?"

"The place is empty. Nothing's there anymore. We couldn't even find bodies. It was a ghost town." MacTavish sighed angrily. "Well, what do you suggest?"

"…we'll organize a search for them. Start gat-"

"That won't be necessary Captain MacTavish." Shepherd's gravelly voice interrupted them, the door barely making a sound as it swung open to reveal the battle-hardened general. Archer and MacTavish jumped in surprise.

"General Shepherd! How are you?" Archer asked politely. Shepherd seemed to ignore him, his eyes on MacTavish.

"I heard you had four KIA's last mission." MacTavish fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Actually sir…we had two KIA and two POW-"

"Son, this Task Force does not have POW status. It's either you're alive or you're dead. There is no in between." Shepherd cut Archer off harshly, sparing a quick glance at the shocked sniper before he returned his hard gaze to the Scottish captain. "I'll need the notice of death for them by sundown."

"Y-yes sir." MacTavish replied. He had avoided writing those out-it was pretty much the only thing he hadn't done.

"Meanwhile we have another mission. Better get settled what you need to, because you're out for a long time. You'll be taking a majority of the team on this one-I think we can get Makarov with this." Shepherd said, tossing a folder down onto the table. Archer moved to stand behind MacTavish as he opened it, a very familiar photo of Makarov staring at him. MacTavish moved the photo to the side, scanning the documents quickly.

"A weapon's trade?" Archer asked skeptically. "You think we can take Makarov down here?"

"If not that, possibly stop his supply lines."

"Wait…this…this is a two month engagement." MacTavish glanced up at Shepherd, confused. "It'll take two months for this?"

"I want you there six weeks in advance. You'll be in Venezuela, near the probable location. You should be able to become more familiar with the territory than the Inner Circle and whoever they're trading with. What my sources are confused over is who they're trading with-apparently they've been under the wire for close to four years." Shepherd explained.

"Any specific men you want out?" MacTavish asked tiredly, a hand running over the Mohawk slowly.

"It's up to you. You'll be leaving in a week." Shepherd replied. "Any questions?" MacTavish shook his head.

"Actually sir…what about Ghost and Roach?" Archer asked. "I mean, they could still be alive, and since Ghost is a lieutenant he would have valuable information about the 141."

"They know what they signed up for. They knew the risks, and they took the job. There's nothing we can do for them." Shepherd said gruffly. Archer stared in shock.

"But sir! W-"

"No buts Sergeant Laurence." Shepherd cut him angrily. MacTavish put a hand on Archer's shoulder comfortingly as he stood up. Archer's anger was plainly on his face, and he knew that the younger man could be quite volatile when upset.

"I'll get the team ready and give you the list tomorrow." MacTavish said.

"But Jo-"

"Marcus." MacTavish said sternly. Archer stared at him as MacTavish turned to Shepherd. "We understand sir. Is that all?" Shepherd nodded.

"I changed my mind, I'll be back for the notice of deaths tomorrow instead." With that, Shepherd turned on his heels and left, the door closing swiftly behind him. Archer and MacTavish stood in silence before Archer spoke up.

"He's not bloody serious, was he? That we would just _leave_ them there?"

"Of course he was serious." MacTavish muttered, sitting back into his chair and sighing.

"So we're just g-"

"No, we're not going to bloody leave them there!" Archer closed his mouth, watching MacTavish slump down. This was a lot of stress on the captain, he knew that much. And with how little he had been taking care of himself lately, the stress was starting to take a toll on his health.

"John? If we're not leaving them, then what's the plan?" MacTavish gave a hum in thought, drumming his fingers on the desk as he stared at the calendar.

"…who's taken their leave this year?" he asked suddenly. Archer frowned, thinking through the long list of people.

"Maybe…Bearcat, Katana, Orc, and I think Sparrow and Taco." He replied. "Why?"

"We're going to find them." MacTavish replied. "Gather some volunteers; we're doing a black op."

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><p><strong>Yes, there will be times where I randomly go to MacTavish's point of view to give the story a breath of fresh air. Good, no?<br>;P Hope you enjoyed!  
>And I would love to hear what you like about this story so far! What do you want me to do to them? <strong>


	10. Something We Have Done Before

**I can give you a perfectly logical explanation as to why this chapter is so goshdarn late.  
>To make up for it, its 2,413 words *gasp 413 yeees*<br>ANYWAY to answer unasked questions, the first semester of college was coming to a close, and this chapter was making me...not want to write it. Not only had my muse died on my for a long period of time, where when it revived it went to other story ideas, that had nothing to do with this story whatsoever...  
>Sorry.<br>That and this chapter was sooooooooooooooo awkward I had NO IDEA how to write it.  
>Finally got it through last night, got it Beta'd by Walker in the Rain...and here it is!<br>Hope you enjoy this.**

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><p>It was probably for the best that they were in the infirmary.<p>

Upon arriving, the medic they had seen was alarmed at the now infected bullet wound in Roach's stomach and Ghost's knees. Luckily they had been sent when they did before it turned into something worse. At the insistence of the kind medic, Ghost and Roach were currently in small cots away from their usual 'room', resting comfortably for three days now. The only compromise Gonzalo had was that they were treated with the bare minimums.

"My arm still hurts like a bitch…my face too…" Roach traced the stitches over his cut, his left arm in a full cast.

"I told you to stop that." Ghost frowned, sitting up. His shoulders, elbows, knees and legs were bandaged, his left knee now void of a trapped bullet. That wasn't a pleasant experience without anesthetics, but it didn't hurt as much as it used to when he walked.

"But it's sooo annoying!"

"Your constant whining about it is annoying. You didn't hear me complain about my knee getting gouged into."

"Fuck that! I heard you screaming!" Roach retorted.

"Your stomach feeling any better?" Ghost asked quickly.

"Yeah…I mean I guess so…never knew there was anything wrong with it before we got here so I'm a little glad for that." Roach replied, not noticing the small smirk Ghost had at the sudden topic switch. "I'm glad Nate was cool enough to get us away from him, even for at least three days." Nate was the medic that took them under his wing, showing more signs of humanity that the other men they had encountered during their stay of almost two weeks.

"I don't get why he's working for an arse like Roba." Ghost muttered. Mentioned man came in suddenly, wide eyed and frantic.

"Nate? What's wro-"

"Pretend you're asleep! Hurry up!" Nate said panicked, tossing some thin blankets to them.

"Why?" Ghost asked, part curious and part confused as Roach pulled the blanket up over himself.

"Gonzalo's coming! He's really, _really_ pissed!" Nate replied hurriedly, his Texan accent showing the more flustered he got. "Only wake up when something drastic happens-if he tries to attack me don't try to defend me! Only do something when it affects you directly!"

"Hold on mate. Wha-"

"_Don't ask questions!"_ Nate hissed. "Just do it!" Ghost stared for a moment before slipping his blanket over him, turning on his side just as the door flew open.

"Where are they?" Gonzalo asked harshly.

"Sleeping." Nate replied shakily. "They're almost well enough-"

"You do know the purpose as to why they are here, correct?"

"I never knew the specifics-"

"The Brit killed my father. The other helped killed my men. They are here as punishment, not a pampering."

"Gonzalo your father's been dead for over four years! Let it go!"

"It does not matter. _Juan, Jorge_. _Traiga__Simon__, deje__la otra__."_

It took all of five seconds before Ghost was tossed off his cot and blindfolded.

"Hey! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled angrily, feeling hands grab his arms and legs. He twisted angrily, the grips loosening enough for him to reach up and rip off the blindfold, staring down Juan and Jorge as they tried to restrain him. "Get…your…mitts…offa me!"

"The more you struggle Simon, the worse it will be." Gonzalo spoke icily from behind him.

"Does it look like I give a shite? Let me go!" Ghost yelled, successfully twisting his body enough to be able to kick Juan in the face. Jorge flung himself on top of Ghost, pinning him down by his shoulders. It gave Juan enough time to recover, grabbing onto Ghost's legs and holding them steadfast, much to the annoyance to Ghost as he tried to swing a punch onto Jorge's side. The counter was unexpected as Jorge sat on his chest, his hands sliding down to grab Ghost's wrists, pulling out a pair of handcuffs and securing them. The sudden appearance of Gonzalo hovering over his face startled him, frozen as Gonzalo bent down to whisper in his ear.

"_Hay mucho que debemos discutir Simon."_

The sharp prick in his neck paved the way for a sudden drowsiness, the tension leaving him before a wave of black enveloped him completely.

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><p>'<em>Wher-what happened?'<em> Ghost groaned as his awareness slowly came back to him, trying to open his eyes. The attempt was unsuccessful, a blindfold tied tightly around his eyes. The taste of cotton in his mouth alerted him of a well-tied gag tightly wrapped around his head. His arms were tied over his head, leaving him to hang by now numb wrists, limbs asleep with the lack of flowing blood reaching them. His toes were barely touching the ground-also numb- with his ankles secured to the floor with some loose chains. Just exactly how long he had been in this position Ghost hadn't the slightest idea-but maybe the person who just came into the room would have a good idea.

He turned his head sharply towards the intruder, giving an angry shout through his gag as the door clicked shut.

"Simon, you are awake." Gonzalo's voice drifted into the room. Ghost heard his footsteps come closer, stopping a few feet in front of him. His sense of smell was immediately assaulted by the overwhelming stench of sweat, blood, and something else he couldn't quite determine. Gonzalo sighed, starting to circle him once again. Ghost could imagine the smug look on his face-he didn't need sight to know it was there.

"Roach certainly knows how to put an excellent fight, even with a casted arm. He was quite hard to subdue. I accidentally used all of the sedatives on you in our earlier struggle. But I guess the positive is more fun in breaking someone." Ghost growled angrily at this. Gonzalo chuckled, making Ghost's blood boil. "Tell me Simon, have you had a sexual partner since your stay here?"

'_Wait...what?'_

"I would imagine not, after what had happened before."

'_What happened? What is he talking about?'_

"Do not tell me you forgot? Tsk tsk Simon. Your mind must have repressed it after you left. What a shame. Maybe I should remind you of what happened." Gonzalo said wistfully, catching the confused expression. All the while Ghost could hear something shuffling in front of him, bringing about even more confusion as to what was happening. The confusion dissipated with the abrupt removal of his boxers. He started to twist his arms, trying to free himself futilely.

'_Oh fuck no. You're shitting me. You are absolutely kidding me with this. I am going to _murder_ you-'_

"Like I said before Simon-the more you struggle, the worse it will be for you." Gonzalo whispered into his ear. Ghost shivered, feeling Gonzalo breathing on his ear. This was _way _too close for comfort. He suddenly felt two hands grab his sides, slowly moving up and down as another bare body pressed up behind him. Ghost immediately tried to shift away from Gonzalo, seemingly giving Gonzalo a sense of pleasure, groaning as their bodies rubbed together. Ghost started to panic more than he had been before, trying to protest through his gag, a muffled cry out in surprise as one hand slipped down below his waist, somewhat tenderly stroking him. His body was reacting in a way that Ghost didn't want, still trying to pull away angrily. There was something gnawing at the back of his mind, being suppressed as Gonzalo started to trace the multiple scars Ghost had acquired. The next thing he knew was Gonzalo had removed his gag, leaving him able to voice his irate thoughts.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doin-" Ghost gasped as Gonzalo bit on his neck sharply, moving his free hand down to join the other one.

"You certainly know how to be quite loud Simon." Gonzalo whispered, his tongue grazing over the slightly cut bite. Ghost shuddered deeply, his heart racing. "This will be quite enjoyable, watching you squirm…" Ghost felt something hard push on his back, and he suddenly grew angry, fed up with the entire situation he had ended up in. He needed to retaliate.

And that's exactly what he did.

"Get off of me!" Ghost yelled angrily, twisting violently. His wrists twisted painfully as he managed to spin all the way around, swinging his knee up into Gonzalo's stomach. Ghost could hear Gonzalo backing up slowly, coughing as he tried to regain his breath. Ghost relaxed for a moment as he twisted back to his original position, trying to remove the blindfold by rubbing it on his arm and untying his bound wrists. He managed to get one eye free before something struck him on his back, hitting the base of the spine and sending a jolt of pain through him. The sudden strike gave way to a scream of pain, a few tears fall without his permission as his body tensed in agony. Another hit in the same spot had Ghost seeing stars behind his closed eyes, aware he was screaming again with the second shockwave of pain. He could vaguely hear someone calling out his real name desperately as something allowed his body to be lowered. When his feet were firmly on the ground, whatever had been holding up his arms gave way, his arms falling in front of him. The sudden blood rush had Ghost biting his tongue to keep from crying out once more, falling onto his knees before slowly leaning to the side.

His chest was heaving; taking in deep breaths as he finally hit the ground, faintly hearing someone walking around him. He didn't care at how exposed he was at this point, the pain overriding any thoughts he had. He felt a foot push on him until his back was to the ground, his legs bent at an awkward angle and his still bound arms out to the side. His blindfold was ripped off his eyes, Ghost blinking until he could clearly see Gonzalo's silhouette crouched over him, no article of clothing within sight.

"You were never this difficult four years ago Simon. What has changed this time?" Gonzalo asked sadly, brushing Ghost's hair back. Ghost merely stared at him, trying to gather his thoughts through the painful haze. As Gonzalo spoke, the thing gnawing at the back of his thoughts breached to the surface, Ghost's eyes falling shut to a world of darkness.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, Riley!"<em>

"_What'dya want Samson? I gotta get back to my house; Tommy's missin' again and my mum's worried sick about him."_

"_That's just it mate! One of the guys in the higher grades said they saw Tommy back over near the old hardware store!"_

"_What?"_

_"Yea, he said Tommy might've been with some drug dealers. But they didn' look too happy to see 'im."_

"_Thanks Samson!"_

_Simon ran quickly. They were only barely in their teens, and his younger brother was already hitting the drugs! It was his job to take care of his younger brother; Simon owed him that much as an older brother, and to his mum._

"_Tommy! Where are you?" Simon yelled as he got closer to the hardware store Samson had mentioned. He couldn't hear anything past his sneakers hitting the pavement in his frantic search, and he was growing worried. Where could they take Tommy? _Why_ would they take Tommy?_

"_SIMON! HELP ME!" Simon froze. _That was Tommy! Where was it coming from? _He spun frantically in a circle, hearing Tommy's cries for help. _There! The alley!

"_TOMMY! I'm coming Tommy hold on!" Simon yelled in a panic, turning the corner to see a dead end. At the end were five much older boys, two of them holding Tommy to the wall._

"_Simon! Help me!" Tommy sobbed as another boy had pulled his pants down._

"_Get away from my brother!" Simon yelled angrily as he approached the boys. One boy, who was much bigger than the others, laughed loudly._

"_Well who's this little bloke? Yar cavalry?"_

"_Stay away from my brother I'm warning you!" Simon glared as the taller boy approached him, flanked by the two other boys who weren't occupied with Tommy._

"_What're ya goin' to do about it short stuff?"_

"_What can he do James? He's just a scrawny lil' kid!" One boy laughed cruelly as the tall boy smirked._

"_Ya're right about that Calvin. I mean, I could push 'im and he'd be on his arse!" Simon blinked, and felt a fist collide harshly with the side of his head. He fell onto his back, his head bouncing twice on the concrete on impact. Stars danced in his vision as the sun swept overhead, hearing Tommy's voice pleading for him to get up. Two pairs of hands grabbed his shoulders, hauling him up. Simon's mind swam as he tried to gather his bearings, stumbling slightly before he was lifted off his feet by his shirt by James._

"_Ya know, yar brother did some stupid shite. He took some of my merch without payin'! What kinda customer does that? Not a good one right?" James spoke darkly, slowly dragging Simon towards Tommy, who stood sobbing quietly. "And ya know what happens to bad customers Riley?" Simon could feel himself shaking his head as his vision cleared; feeling himself hit the ground face first. _

"_Simon…? Simon get up…" Tommy whispered. Simon groaned as he clenched his eyes shut, slowly getting up on his hands and knees._

"_Stay down Riley. It'll be easier if you just stay down." Calvin said harshly, his foot swiftly stomping down on Simon's back. He cried out as he collapsed, hearing someone fall down next to him._

"_S-simon? Simon I'm so sorry…" Tommy sobbed. Simon was confused as he opened his eyes to see Tommy's tearstained face staring at him frightened. He felt his pants slide down his waist as two pairs of hands pressed down on his torso, seeing the same thing happening to Tommy._

"_Bad customers gotta be punished. Let's start with Tommy, eh Riley? Then we'll go to ya cos ya were interferin' with my business." James held a triumphant tone as undid his belt buckle._

_Soon the alley way was filled with the sounds of the two Riley brothers screaming in agony._

_And Simon pledged to never let anything like this ever happen to him or his little brother ever again._

* * *

><p><strong>Well fuck. This was so awkward to write. I don't <em>write<em> stuff like this! I really don't! So Critique me HARSHLY. Make me bleeeeeeeed from the various wounds supposedly helping me grow stronger! If you need to write it in flame form GO AHEAD!**

**I just hope you enjoy it, especially with Tommy's little appearance.**


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